Broken
by Cpt.Fox
Summary: Fara or Krystal? Which one does he love more? Or does it even matter?
1. Good Morning

000

The orange glow of Solar slowly made its way across the room, edging more and more light through the bedroom window as GreatFox cleared the far side of Sauria. The line ran across the floor and to the foot of the room's only bed which still hosted its newest guest. Within seconds the light had made its way up the sheets and over the closed eyes of its occupant, causing two blue paws to instinctively reach down and pull the cover over her head.

__Ugh morning already? It seems like I went to bed just a few minutes ago.__

Sudden realization hit the vixen and she let out a sigh of annoyance. She was on his ship now and out in space. Here there was no night or day, only endless galaxies full of planets and stars that would block out the sun. This would definitely take some getting used to. She had been with the team for almost three months now after the adventure on Sauria and was doing her best to learn everything she needed to in order to fit in and help out. But that wouldn't be the easiest of tasks if she couldn't get any rest.

__Well I'm awake now, I guess I should make the best of it.__

She threw the covers off and looked over at her bed table at the clock. 5:50 am. Not necessarily the latest time she preferred, but at least she could get a head start on the day. Letting out a yawn she sat up on the side of the bed, allowing her body to wake up for a few seconds before standing, stretching, and making her way over to door.

__I'm probably the only one stupid enough to be up this early. Yet another reason for the team to think I'm weird.__

While the thoughts hadn't been open she had picked up on them when they hadn't known she was there. It was usually Falco, Slippy, or Peppy who let a stray hurtful thought escape their mind. Fox and Katt however were still showing her nothing but kindness and the best of intentions, something that she definitely hadn't expected from the pink feline. In fact she hadn't expected to get along with mercenary at all. But her first night on the ship she had sat down in the lounge, just her and Katt, and the two ended up hitting it off extremely well. As it turned out Katt had an extremely soft side to her that very few knew about.

"But in this line of work you cant let stuff like that show," she had muttered, "It's get tough or die."

"Why don't you quit then?" the vixen asked, easily feeling pity for her. "Just stop being a mercenary and settle down with Falco."

The pink cat's face somehow managed to grow a darker shade of red as she looked away and scoffed before replying, "Like that bird brain would ever realize..." she trailed off, looking off into the distance and adding in a soft tone, "Besides, I enjoy flying and fighting. It's a thrill."

She decided not to push the subject of relationships any further, at least not until they were closer. Instead they talked about Cerenia and then Katt's home planet, and before long they were back at it and chatting the night away.

__I'd like to think we're pretty good friends.__

The sapphire fox smiled to herself before stepping out of her room, making her way to the ship's main bathroom at the end of the hall. It was one thing that she wished they would add to the ship; more bathrooms. But GreatFox was in pitiful shape as it was and she knew that with the six of them aboard it now they should just be grateful they had plenty of food to eat. Tricky had made sure of that before they had disembarked and the team had been eating the plants, vegetables, and various different animals (she preferred not knowing) for the past few days.

She made her way past Fox's room, then Katt's, before reaching the door. She knew it wouldn't be occupied, not at this hour. The team had been on recovery for the past week, and would continue to be for the next ten days. Luckily Pepper had seen fit to pay them generously for their efforts on Sauria and they would more than likely have enough to make it the next few weeks. Still, the vixen couldn't help but hold back on her portions at meal time. She had yet to do anything to deserve the hospitality she was receiving, yet another reason for those few rare thoughts she had intercepted, so she tried to cut back on everything she could.

She turned the lock behind her and slid out of her red jogging pants and t-shirt, also another free service that she had received since moving aboard the ship. She reached down and picked them up, pausing for a second as she caught the all too familiar scent that hung on them. She smiled and brought the shirt up to her muzzle, breathing in his scent and letting its musk settle in her memory.

He was the reason why she was still here, in more ways that one. She owed the vulpine her life, yet all he asked was for her to stay with them aboard his ship. It was no challenge to pick his mind and she had easily caught his thoughts about her while she was within his view but acting as if she wasn't paying any attention.

**_**She's so beautiful...so skilled...so...perfect.**_**

A laugh escaped her as she thought about the blush he had been sporting when she turned and walked up to him, whispering, "Thanks for the compliment Fox." before brushing the side of his face with her paw and walking away. She had turned back and giggle at the frozen statue behind her, the vulpine realizing his mental admiration had been eavesdropped on.

__He's so shy and caring. But at the same time he's brave and heroic. It's hard to believe someone as nice as him could be a mercenary.__

Her black bra and panties hit the floor and she tossed them down the laundry chute with the rest of her clothes before stepping into the running water, adjusting it to the right temperature before finally introducing the rest of her body to the warm liquid. She closed her eyes and let it run down around her, picturing the muscular physique of the vulpine holding her arms against her chest as he embraced her from behind. She knew it was silly to daydream about something as far fetched as her and Fox, but she also knew it wasn't impossible. She had read his thoughts, seen the signs, the look in his eyes when their gazes locked for that brief second before he looked away in embarrassment...and she had caught it.

__I've only known him a few months but...I've never felt this way towards anyone else. Maybe I do love him. Maybe he loves me.__

She sighed and reached to her right, grabbing a bottle of shampoo and pouring a pool into her paw before adding it to her hair. She then grabbed the body wash and proceeded to lather her body in the green gel, making sure to get herself exceptionally clean just because she wanted to look nice for him. Just in case.

__I mean, its not like he hasn't been showing something as well. Anyone with eyes could tell that he's as bad with words around me as a kit. If he's that nervous then that must mean something, right?__

Her head fell forward against the wall as she now let the water run down her neck and backside. It was thoughts and questions like these that had been on her mind ever since she had locked eyes with him on Sauria that day, and she couldn't help but think that meaning behind them was what she thought it was. No. She couldn't help but 'hope' they were. The past few weeks with him and Katt had been some of the best of her life. She had learned so much more, saw sights she would've never seen before, made friends with complete strangers. All thanks to him.

Her mind fell back to the first night on the ship, following the vulpine into her room as he showed her around the dreadnought one last time.

"And this is your new room." he said, nervousness still obvious in his tone. "I'm sorry its not that big...and I know its lacking a few things...and...well...I know your probably used to something much better and...you know, my room is much bigger than this... let me go get my stuff and I'll move into this room and...

He turned back towards the door, starting back to his own room as planned but stopping as she reached out and took grabbed his paw, pulling him back around and pressing her index finger across his lips before and smiling.

"Fox," she said softly, enjoying the electricity that sparked between them, "This is perfect."

His eyes slowly went from a look of surprise to one of concern and nervousness as he cleared his throat and slowly nodded. "A-Are you sure?" he stammered, "Because its no trouble...

She slowly leaned forward and softly kissed the vulpine's cheek before stepping back through the door and softly whispering, "Good night Fox."

Now, even in the shower, she could feel the heat coming from her face as a blush worked its way across. __Why did I do that? God that was so risky! __But knowing it had worked, knowing that he had loved every second, it had made it worth the while. The next few days they exchanged endless smiles and blushes as they met the others gaze, not talking as much as either had hoped but letting their emotions set the dialogue instead.

The look in his eyes said all she needed to hear, and it was hard to believe the strength of the bond between them that had developed after a mere three months with the vulpine...the same fox who had been a complete stranger just before.

__But he's just so...right.__

She reached forward and turned off the water, closing her eyes once more and envisioning the vulpine's arms wrapped around her and holding her tight as he slowly kissed the back of her neck.__This is so immature, I shouldn't be thinking like this. He's just a friend, he just has a hard time talking to girls. There's nothing special about me.__

Of course she knew that wasn't true in the least. She had only been with the team for a few months but in that time she had witnessed numerous occasions in which the vulpine talked as easily with Katt as he did any other member of the team. It was only around the sapphire vixen that he was at a loss for words. It was only in her presence that she could sense his heart racing, feel his thoughts desperately searching for the perfect thing to say to her. He'd throw his arm behind his neck and look away whenever their eyes got remotely close to meeting.

"I don't __need __to be a telepath to see what's going on between you two," Katt had finally said one night, "You've got Fox falling head over heels."

Krystal had blushed and looked away, not sure if she should be flattered or embarrassed over the comment. "I don't know what you're talking about." she replied with a red face.

Katt scoffed and sat up, her legs crossed as she faced the vixen, "Now I know you're lying," she pressed, a smirk on her face, "You can read minds, you know what he's thinking even when you're nowhere near him. And its as clear as day that he's fallen for you."

At this point the Cerenian began wishing Katt would act more like her usual self, tough and uncaring, tomboyish if you will. Anything that would get the topic of conversation off her and Fox. But Katt had struck gold and an amused twinkle shown in her eyes as she pressed even further.

"So why don't you drop a few hints?" she asked, her eyes now sparkling with the same enthusiasm seen in that of a teenager, "You know, bend over in front of him to pick something up, or sit down next to him in the lounge at night when its just you two, or, or maybe...

"It's not that easy Katt."

The pink feline's eyes didn't waver, and she only sat back against her seat before adding, "Yeah I know, but the way he looks at you...that look in his eyes...I've never saw it in Fox before."

Krystal looked out towards the hallway and rested her gaze on the vulpine's door, trying to picture that same look on his face in her imagination. __Do I have that same look in mine?__

"Tell you what," she finally replied, looking back over at her best friend, "I'll do some of that stuff if...you and Falco hook up."

"Mmm...ok...Deal." the pink cat answered, holding out her hand and shaking the vixen's paw. "But you cant go back on this okay?"

"Right."

The two of them sat back in silence, allowing the realization of what they had just done sink in. The vixen knew how stupid this little bet was, but at the same time she couldn't help but hope it would work. __There. Now its a win-win situation. If this works then I'll have a reason to show Fox how I feel, plus Katt will finally get what she's always wanted as well.__

"I feel like a kid again," Katt spoke up, causing the both of them to laugh.

"Yeah. But when you think about it, we kinda still are."

Krystal opened her eyes and was back in the shower once more, the water still dripping from her fur. She pulled back the curtain and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the closet and doing her best to dry off her blue coat. Once done she slid back into a pair of shorts and began looking around for her top.

__Where is it? I brought it all in here with me earlier.__

She checked under everything in the room before finally accepting that she had left it back in her own room. She sighed and looked around for her towel, letting out a groan of annoyance as she realized it was laying in the tub, now completely soaked and unusable. __Guess I'll have to use another. I'll make sure to help whoever gets stuck with laundry duty this week because I'm going to be their biggest contributor.__

She picked up the soaked towel and tossed it down the laundry chute that was hidden inside the closet before looking for another. But as inevitable fate would have it there were none, and it was with an even more annoyed groan that she realized __today __was laundry day and the only remaining towel left had just been tossed down the chute.

"Really?" she asked herself, looking around for anything else, "Is my luck that bad?"

Her eyes finally rested on the sink and the small hand towel on the rail next to it that they used to dry their hands. She held it up in front of her and sighed, figuring that this would be the case.__Well, its better than nothing. Plus, its early. I doubt anyone is awake right now. And if they are what's the chances of them coming out of their room between the 15 seconds it takes me to get to my own?__

She opened the door part of the way and looked down the hall to find it empty. Without hesitating she stepped out and silently, yet quickly, padded down the hallway to her room, doing her best to hold the small rag in front of her exposed upper torso. She had gotten more than halfway there when she heard a noise from behind her, seemingly from the kitchen. She turned around and checked, still walking backwards down the hall.

__Nothing. Just the ship itself. As bad a shape as its in I can understand why it...__

Her thoughts where interrupted as she collided with something while turning back around. The small hand towel fell to the floor, immediately followed by the vixen as she figured she had ran into a door or something just as strong. Slowly she looked up and took in what it had been, instantly understanding why it felt like she had ran into a brick wall as a pair of stunned green eyes looked back at her.

"Oh Krystal I'm..." the vulpine's apology was immediately cut off as he looked down at her, arm extended to help her to her feet. She didn't have to look into his thoughts to see that he thought he sight before him was the most amazing thing he'd ever witnessed, and that while his brain was screaming at him to look away his heart wouldn't allow it.

She finally found the sense to wrap her arms around her in an attempt to conceal her nakedness, but his gaze was no longer on her torso, but rather locked onto her own. She timidly stuck out an arm and allowed him to pull her to her feet where she turned away and tried to fight the massive blush that had taken over her face.

"I'm sorry Fox," she said, embarrassment clearly evident in her tone, "It's just...there wasn't any towels left and...the laundry chute...I didn't think anyone would be awake..."

He gulped and looked away, allowing a small chuckle to escape his throat before replying, "Yeah, I was on my way to do the laundry right now. Sorry about that."

For another few seconds the two foxes stood in the hall, facing away from each other and trying to force the redness from their faces. Eventually she stepped by him, her tail brushing along his back as she made her way to her bedroom door. He hadn't looked in her direction, or moved at all much less, but as she opened her door she heard the vulpine clear his throat.

"You look beautiful today Krystal."

She froze in her tracks and allowed the words to sink in before smiling to herself and finally entering her room and closing the door behind her. She looked down at her hand, still tightly clenching the hand towel, before throwing it across the room and falling down on her bed, an aggravated sigh escaping her as she fought to comprehend all that had just happened.

"I'm so unlucky."

Then, with a hopeful realization she changed her thoughts.

__Or maybe I'm luckier than ever.__

__000__


	2. Hard Times

000

"No I need a 7/8ths, this is a 15/16ths wrench."

"Oh sorry Slippy."

"You okay Fox? You're acting like your still half asleep."

__That's because I'm still dreaming about this morning.__

"Yeah I'm fine," he replied shaking his head, "I'm just trying to figure out how we're going to pay the bills this month."

It wasn't a lie, the problem had been on his mind all week, and even after their payment from Pepper for their actions on Sauria they were still hurting badly for credits. But as important as that problem was at the moment, it didn't hold a candle to what was really on his thoughts.

The vulpine turned his gaze back towards the toad and took the wrench from him before heading back to the tool chest next to his Arwing. He hadn't meant to grab the wrong size, and it wasn't like he didn't know which one to get by now, but his train of thought had been interrupted yet again. Any time he had been able to clear his mind for more than a second it always returned to the scene he had partook in that morning in the hallway with Krystal.

__I cant believe I got to see that. Man...if she looks that amazing with only half her clothes on just think of what kind of goddess she'll look like without any.__

He sharply inhaled and looked around, praying to whatever deity would listen, hoping that Krystal hadn't heard him think that. He assumed he was already in enough trouble with her for seeing what he did, much less letting her catch him thinking perverted thoughts about it.

__Er, I mean...It was simply an accident and nothing more. So what if I saw her breasts? It's not like I haven't seem a vixen topless before. Of course...none of them can compare to her, but that's obvious. I mean just look at how...__

__**Shut up!**__

An annoyed sigh escaped him as he shook his head once again and looked around the hanger to make sure the sapphire fox hadn't entered the area. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't keep her off his mind, and truthfully that was the case even before the incident this morning. The whole week all he could think about was what to say around her, how to act, what to do. Anything and everything he had to do to impress her.

He let his mind drift back to the night he had shown the vixen her bedroom, insisting that he move his belongings into it so she could have the vulpine's larger, more accommodating room. A grin slid across his face as he remembered the feel of her lips against his cheek as she told him that the room was perfect. Of course it had surprised him, but at the same time he couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more.

"So most of the money went back to the loan sharks?"

Slippy's question pulled him out of his thoughts and the vulpine shook his head, clearing his throat before answering. "Yeah. It's not where it should have gone, but before the Sauria mission it was either take out a loan or risk GreatFox shutting down and us starving."

The toad slid out from under the Arwing, sighing and reaching for his grease towel, "Sad thing is," he mumbled depressingly, "GreatFox isn't in much better shape now than it was then, which reminds me...the gravity diffuser has been giving fits all morning."

Fox let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead, resting his back against the tool stand behind him as he added another task to his 'to do' list. The diffuser was what made GreatFox capable of fighting and protecting itself. If it went out then they could all be as good as dead while aboard. It was an easy fix, as important as it was. Yet the cost of any part or tool needed for it was unbelievably high and credits were something that he simply didn't have.

"Let me guess...another master fuse is getting too old to function right?"

Slippy nodded and pulled himself up, apparently done with his work for the moment. "It's the one that keeps our shields up and our weapons firing. Without it we're dead meat for anyone who wants to take us down."

__Unless we're able to get off the ship with our Arwings and fight them off...but we cant risk that. Without shields up one good shot could take down an entire dreadnaught.__

He began walking back towards the stairway that led up to the command post, Slippy following behind. "So what are we looking at?" he asked the toad, stepping up the stairs. "Ten...twenty thousand credits?"

The amphibian pulled out a mechanics magazine he had been carrying in his back pocket, easily flipping to the page he had marked with the part. "Looks like...ehhhh...well...around...

"Just tell me how much Slippy."

"Seventy-five thousand credits."

The vulpine's foot froze on the top step and he had to grit he teeth to refrain from cursing out loud. Seventy-five thousand credits! He didn't have half that much! And he couldn't take out another loan, not so soon after paying off the last ones. But without that fuse they would all be in danger, serious danger. He had made his fair share of enemies and none of them would hesitate to blow up the entire ship just to kill him.

__I'm just not ready to chance something like that. I cant risk losing my friends.__

Then with a sudden deep realization he knew the real truth behind his thoughts.

__I cant risk losing her.__

He unclenched his hand from around the handrail and continued up the stairs and into the hall, doing his best to shake the image of the vixen from his mind and focus on the 'real' problem ahead.

"I know we cant afford that Fox," Slippy added, walking behind him as they made their way towards the lounge, "So I'm going to do my best to keep the old one in tact until we have a few more credits to spare."

"How long you think the old one will last?"

"Maybe a month, two if we don't use the shields or weapons unless absolutely necessary. The less the fuse has to fire, the more time we'll have."

The vulpine nodded, rounding the corner and entering the lounge now, instantly being greeted by the sprawled out figure of Falco laying on the couch. He looked up and noticed Katt standing beside him, watching the television with a vague look in her eyes. He sighed and made his way over to the avian; grabbing him by the collar and jerking him up into a sitting position.

"Hey! Ah Fox what the hell!" he yelled, straightening his shirt.

"Until you buy your own couch you have to __share __this one." he replied, pointing down at the sorry excuse for a sofa.

The bird looked up at him with an angry and confused expression causing Fox to sigh yet again and nod at Katt, "In other words, let Katt have a seat."

Falco grumbled a few words under his breath before scooting over and allowing the pink feline to plop down next to him, the cat looking back at Fox and winking. "Thanks but I could've made him move myself ya know."

"Yeah," the vulpine replied, "But you wouldn't have."

Slippy walked around and forced himself down on the other side of Falco causing the bird to let out an aggravated sigh. With a smirk on his face Fox made his way into the kitchen, It was past 6pm and he knew that he needed to eat something. What, he didn't know. But something. Of all the different types of sustenance Tricky had sent with them from Sauria he knew he wouldn't have hard time finding something to hold him over. Whether it was 'delicious' or not, well...that was a different story.

He heard the soft pad of feet behind him and turned, hoping to see the sapphire beauty of his dreams but instead locking gazes with Katt.

"Yeah, I'm too hungry to sit in there and watch commercials of amazing looking food," she said, smiling and making her way over to the fridge. "We have anything in here good to eat?"

"Just what you see," he replied, admiring the feline's physique and instantly kicking himself for doing so. __C'mon Fox, if there's even a chance that Krystal likes you then you're gonna blow it by letting your mind wander too much.__

She sighed and stood back up, turning and facing him with a gallon of milk in her hand. "Guess I'll just have cereal tonight."

"What about all that food from Sauria?"

"To be honest," she replied, pouring some fruity pebbles into the bowl, "I never learned to cook anything more complex than this." she finished by adding milk to the bowl, grabbing a spoon, and sitting down at the table.

"Well I've got you beat there then," he answering, grabbing a bowl of his own and pouring some cereal into it, "I know how to cook a few things. It's not real hard you know?"

Katt shrugged and swallowed another spoonful, "Maybe you could teach me sometime."

"Whats to teach? You just throw it over some heat, add flavor, and when it doesn't taste completely horrible you eat it."

Her gaze met his and the feline couldn't help but laugh, spilling milk down her chin in the process. He grinned and commenced to putting away his own bowl, grateful to have a female in his life that he could talk to and __not __act like a complete idiot around. But it had always been like that around her. He knew that she had fallen for Falco, and it seemed that after __that__ boundary had been established he was able to sit and talk with her as easy as he could with any of his friends. She acted so tough and nonchalant around them and it wasn't hard to just act normal around her which, other than Falco, they all did.

"Anyways," he continued, swallowing another mouthful of the half stale cereal, "Have you seen Krystal?"

He tried to sound as casual and normal as he possibly could but the small twinkle of amusement that passed through Katt's gaze caught his eye and he couldn't help but feel his face turn red from it.

"It's just, I haven't seen her since this morning..." at the mention of the start of the day his mind pictured the half naked fox before him yet again and he struggled to regain his train of thought, "and...and...I figured she...might be hungry."

Katt grinned and leaned back in her chair, obviously amused with the vulpine's attempt to show an interest in her best friend. She knew what he was thinking, Krystal had told her all about the incident earlier that day and it was obvious that the fox before her still had the image stuck in his mind.

"Yeah I've seen her," Katt answered, slurping some of the milk from her bowl, "About an hour ago she went into her room to meditate but she told me to come get her after I ate."

"Oh okay...I was just...

"But I think I'll give her a few more minutes." Katt continued, interrupting the vulpine and pushing her seat back and standing, "I need to grab a shower anyways. Do you think you could get her for me?"

He saw the pink feline's tail swish back and forth in amusement and he knew what she was trying to do. Apparently Katt was as farfetched as himself if she honestly thought Krystal liked him. But he wouldn't let her rattle him, and there was no way he'd turn down an opportunity to talk to the vixen. He could only imagine how she would react to him though, neither of them having seen the other since their unplanned encounter this morning.

"Yeah no problem," he replied calmly, taking another bite of cereal and forcing it down his throat and past the nervous knot that had formed in his gut.

Katt placed her bowl and spoon in the sink before turning and making her way towards the lounge, stopping at the doorway before saying one last thing, "By the way," she murmured, her face now vacant of the earlier amusement, "I kind of overheard you and Slippy talking about that fuse."

He stopped the spoon that was halfway to his mouth, looking up at her and waiting to see how she reacted to the bad news.

"I know money is short around here," she continued, "But consider the napkin container my little 'thank you' for having me on the ship."

He began to ask what she meant but instead followed her gaze to the middle of the table where the napkins sat along with the salt, pepper, and other various kitchen items. "The napkin container?" he asked, a grin forming as he expected the joke to reveal itself any second now.

"Look underneath it you dope," she added with a laugh.

He grinned and reached forward, picking it up and instantly recognizing the familiar silver banner of a credit check. He picked it up and looked it over, noticing it was from Katt's account and, after unfolding it and looking it over, realized it was for a shocking ten-thousand credits...

"And don't even think about trying to return it," she muttered, "That's my gift to the team, and I would be hurt if you didn't accept it."

Without giving him time to protest the pink feline made her way through the lounge and towards her room, leaving the surprised fox at the table with the ten-thousand credit check loosely hanging between two fingers.

__Ten-thousand credits...it's nowhere near enough but it's a hell of a lot more than I had before. Katt...I cant believe her. I swear, if I had never met Krystal I would be chasing after her instead.__

He looked down at the check and closed his eyes. It was another small step on their road to recovery. He hated seeing his team like this, living on the bare essentials, doing anything they could to survive, yet he knew that none of them really minded it. But it was with Krystal that he was worried. With her he didn't know how she felt. Did she hate her new lifestyle? Did she regret joining the team now that she saw the life she was going to have to live? It was questions like those that made him want to do whatever it took to make things better. He had to impress her, he had to make her happy.

The check slipped out from between his fingers and he reopened his eyes, quickly finishing off his cereal and putting it all away before heading back towards his room.

"You guys better find something to eat before the only thing left requires you to actually 'cook' it," he muttered to Falco and Slippy who remained on the couch.

Falco merely grunted and Slippy slowly rose to his feet, stretching and turning towards the kitchen, nodding at Fox on his way out. "I guess I can cook me up something." he answered, "You want me to make enough for you too Falco?"

"That depends," the avian replied, "Is it going to taste anything like last time? If so then I'll pass."

"No it wont, geeze," Slippy retorted, somewhat annoyed, "You use garlic pepper instead of black pepper ONE time and no one wants to even be in the kitchen with you anymore."

"All right, make some for me then," Falco answered, turning around towards Fox before adding, "So, what were you and Katt gossiping about?"

He instantly looked up at the bird, folding the check and casually sliding it in his back pocket. "Ah just the usual," he replied, "How bad my cooking is, how stupid you are, you know...same ole."

Falco snorted and rolled back over, once more taking up the full length of the couch as he turned his attention towards the television. The vulpine breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards the hall. He couldn't let Falco know about Katt giving him that much money. He wasn't sure why yet, but he just knew it was a bad idea. Any reaction Falco would have to the news of the pink feline's gift to the team would more than likely be a bad one.

He stepped up to his door, looking down at the next one, knowing Krystal was in there. Her perfect body, her eyes, nose, tail, hair, all of it perfectly sitting in there. He slowly opened his door and looked away from her room, making his way over to his dresser and emptying his pockets. He took the check and placed it in the back corner of the top drawer, making sure it was hidden from anyone who might decide to pry.

__Not that anyone here would do that though.__

His world was messed up right now and he knew it. He owed debts that he couldn't pay, he had friends that he couldn't support, and worst of all he had a love that he couldn't proclaim. He sighed and slipped off his shirt and pants, quickly switching into a black tanktop and matching black jogging pants before stepping back and looking himself over in the mirror.

__I know its all in my imagination, but what does it hurt to try and impress her? With everything else in my life I have to struggle against I might as well take a few chances right?__

He couldn't help but grin and shake his head, surprising himself with his immaturity. He knew he was feeling sorry for himself and he couldn't stand that feeling. He had no right to take pity on himself, not when he had a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and friends by his side. If he just had her then he'd be the luckiest guy in the universe. All the debts, all the problems, they all would just melt away.

He turned and made his way back towards the exit, seeing the shadow of a moving figure passing by beneath the door and looking out in time to see Katt's pink tail vanish into the bathroom. He cleared his throat and did a few neck rolls, jumping in place and loosening his arms.

__Jesus Fox just go get her. You aren't going to run a marathon.__

The vulpine made his way down the hall and up to her door, resting his paw on the handle and softening his breathing in an attempt to hear any movement from the vixen from inside. __Wait! Don't just open the door you idiot! Knock first!__

"Oh right," he muttered to himself, loosening his grip on the handle and running his paw up the door. He gave three good taps and stepped back, glad that his brain was finally deciding to help him out.

"Hey Fox!"

He turned his head down the hall in the direction of Slippy's voice, doing his best to hide the surprise the toad had scared into him.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking back towards the door, hearing faint steps from the other side.

"Peppy says you've got live video feed!" Slippy yelled, his eyes full of excitement.

The vulpine sighed yet again, "All right, tell them I'll be there in few minutes."

"No you gotta come now!" Slippy yelled, his voice still full of exhilaration.

__It must be Pepper, and judging by Slippy's look he's got some good news. Maybe things are starting to turn around. __He heard the footsteps drawing closer on the other side of the door and he knew that the vixen would be before him any second now. Whoever it was, they weren't as important as Krystal.

"Just a minute Slippy."

"You don't understand! Its-

000

She pulled the door open, expecting the nervous, shy vulpine to be standing before her. She had sensed him coming down the hall, felt his emotions and thoughts as he readied himself to meet her. She smiled to herself, loving the way he felt for her, not knowing that she could read minds from one end of the ship to the other. She had been with him all day. Part of her felt bad for invading the vulpine's privacy like that but, as much as she hated to admit it, after this morning she was too shy herself to come face to face with him. But at least in her mind she was able to spend time with him.

The moment for mental quality time had came to an end though, and as she opened the door she knew that the vulpine would do his best to charm her for the rest of the night.

That was, if he had been standing there.

__Wait...did I imagine Fox coming to my room and knocking on my door?__

She leaned forward and looked down the hall, catching the tip of the vulpine's tail as he vanished around the end of the hall and headed towards the control room, a sense of urgency in his step. She immediately took off behind him, following them down the bridge before pausing at the entrance to the control room and peeking her head around the door as she heard the tone of an unfamiliar voice cry out in happiness.

She looked up at the screen, instantly being greeted by the excited face another vixen.

"Fara," Fox whispered, disbelief coating his voice.

__Fara?__

__**I know that feeling inside him...**__

000


	3. An Old 'Friend'

000

"And she's on her way here right now?"

The vixen nodded, looking up at Katt from across the table and taking another bite of cereal. Katt had been in the shower when the transmission had come through so it was left up to Krystal to bring her up to date on what was going to happen. She had heard the entire conversation from the doorway of the command post, though no one noticed her presence, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat afraid of what might happen once Fara arrived.

__I sensed that feeling in him just then. I know what it means, or I thought I did.__

Katt bit her lower lip and leaned back on her chair, looking up at the ceiling as if she was in deep thought, "You know, I think I remember Falco and Fox talking about her a while back."

"Oh yeah?" Krystal asked, running her spoon around the bowl in an attempt to catch the last few pieces, "She nice?"

"That's up to you to decide," the feline answered, "Fox talks the world of her but Falco..." Katt stopped and looked around the room to make sure they were alone before continuing, "Falco says shes a stuck up rich girl who gets whatever she wants."

__Oh boy...__

"Where's she from?" the vixen asked, chewing the last few bites and still trying to sound unconcerned.

"Papetoon."

"Where Fox was born?"

"Yep that's the place."

Krystal frowned and leaned back in her chair as well, "So they've known each other all their lives?"

Katt began to reply but bit her tongue and looked back across the table at the vixen, her feminine instincts easily piecing together what the fox was trying to do. She turned and met her gaze, getting a grin from Katt and causing the vixen to look away with a blush.

"You sure are interested in her," Katt said knowingly, a grin still sitting on her face.

"It's just, I'd like to know a bit about her before we meet. What's wrong with that?" Krystal timidly glanced back over at Katt before looking away as she met the same knowing smirk.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say someone is jealous."

The vixen's ears pinned down and a blush blanketed her expression as she struggled for a decent response. Katt laughed and leaned forward, resting her hands under her chin and looking across the table at her. "It's okay," she muttered calmly, still wearing a smirk, "I understand. There's nothing wrong with being a little wary of a new fox that is paying a visit."

"It's not that Katt..." she replied, still trying to force the blush from her face, "It's just...I don't think...

"Hey finally decide to eat something?"

Both females instantly turned around towards the lounge, meeting the brown vulpine as he entered the kitchen, a carefree swagger in his step as he sat down beside Katt.

__Did he hear any of that? Oh please tell me he didn't...__

Luckily Katt answered his question first and the vixen had enough time to reach into his thoughts to see what he was thinking.

**_**Man I cant believe she is coming. It's been so long, she hasn't changed a bit though. I just wonder how I can tell Krystal and Katt about it...**_**

"Krystal?"

The sapphire fox jerked her head up and met his gaze, instinctively smiling and causing him to look away. "Oh I'm sorry what was that?"

"I just asked if you had a minute, I need to let you two know about something."

Krystal and Katt exchanged a knowing glance but Fox didn't notice and instead the vixen merely nodded, managing to catch his gaze once again. The vulpine took a deep breath; he had no idea how the two would react to the news of Fara's visit, or the fact that she would be staying with them for a while. He had been surprised, to say the least, when Katt and Krystal had hit it off so well. But Fara was different, in such a way that he couldn't quite explain. She was different...but so was Krystal. There was a feeling he had for both of them that he couldn't quite understand but he knew it was special.

"Well," he started, looking to his right at Katt, "I just received a transmission from an old friend of mine and she's going to be staying with us for a few days." He looked over at her, the vixen merely holding his gaze in response, using her powers to their fullest extent in order to get a better reading on the vulpine's feelings for Fara.

"Her name is Fara Phoenix. We used to fight together on Papetoon but that was almost five years ago and we kind of lost touch. But she's really nice and awesome and I really think you three will hit it off." He let out a breath and leaned back in his seat, taking a glance at each of them to see their reactions.

"Fara Phoenix..." Katt murmured softly but loud enough for them all to hear, "I remember her!" she exclaimed, obviously faking her excitement.

__What are you doing Katt?__

"Really? You remember Fara?" Fox asked, surprised and somewhat relieved.

"I'm pretty sure I'm thinking of the right vixen," she continued, looking up at Krystal and stealing away a quick wink out of her left eye before continuing, "But isn't her family pretty rich? Why would she want to come here? We barely have any food or defenses and the living quarters...well...let's just say we're not living first class."

__Oh I see, trying to find the motive.__

"That's the best part!" he replied, joy obvious in his tone, "One of the main reasons she's joining us is so she can lend a few credits towards repairing the ship and aiding us!"

"You mean she's just going to __give __us money?" the vixen asked, finally speaking up, a hint of jealousy obvious in her tone.

Their gazes met and the vulpine paused for a second, almost realizing all the trouble that all of this could, and probably would, cause. But he shook it off and looked away, "Her family is one of the richest on Papetoon, money is no problem for them and her father insisted on giving us our pay for all the work we've done for him over the years."

Krystal sighed and looked over at Katt who was doing her best to piece together the right question. The blue vixen was disheartened at the amount of joy that Fox had at the news of Fara's visit. __If he really loved me then he wouldn't have those same feelings for Fara all at once. I guess it all was in my head after all.__

"Where's she going to sleep?" Katt asked, casting a glance over at her friend.

"I guess I'll just clean up my room and sleep on the couch. It's no big deal."

__Yeah, you insisted on doing the exact same thing for me.__

"Oh well...how long is she staying again?"

"Just a few days," he answered the pink feline, "Maybe a week."

The three sat there for a second, each looking at some foreign object, pretending to find interest in it. Katt knew how Krystal felt about this, she knew the vixen was somewhat jealous of Fara already, even though she had no idea if Fara had any feelings for Fox at all. It was expected, she guessed, for the two vixens to fight over him. But surely, after what she had seen so far, Fox wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Well I'm okay with it," Krystal spoke up, forcing a smile and meeting his gaze, "I'm sure we'll all get along just fine."

A relieved look overtook the vulpine's face and he returned the smile, standing up from the table, "Great! I'm glad you're okay with it. It's going to be great having us all together, and the financial aid will really help us out."

The vixen merely continued to smile, looking over at Katt and ignoring the suspicious look she was flashing her way. The feline knew that the outward appearance she sported wasn't anywhere near close to how she felt on the inside. Of course, what choice did either of them have? Even if they didn't want Fara to visit they weren't going to tell Fox no. It was his ship, she was his friend, and from what she could tell her visit would really be worth it if a few credits would come their way in the process.

"You just want her here for the credits don't ya Fox?" Katt asked jokingly with a laugh.

He returned the laugh and shook his head, "Nah, though I will admit, I'll be grateful for them. We need all the help we can get right now."

The pink cat nodded back as he began to step towards the lounge, stopping to say one final thing before leaving them, "Anyways, she'll be here tomorrow around noon so make sure you're in the hanger to say hi."

The two nodded in response and with that the vulpine turned towards the lounge, casting one final glance back at Krystal and grinning before making his way down the hall and into his bedroom.

"Well..." Katt muttered, leaning forward in her chair after making sure no one else was around, "Fox sure seems happy."

Krystal looked through the wall and in the direction of his room, letting her mind wander forward until she felt his thoughts. "Yeah," she replied, frowning at the happiness and excitement that she felt there, "They must have been pretty close before they split."

Katt raised an eyebrow at the vixen, now leaning back in her chair and clearing her throat to get her attention. "Who said they were ever together?"

"No, I meant...

"I know what you're doing," she interrupted, "You're already assuming that he still has feelings for her and has forgotten about you."

"No that's not...

"Mhmm."

"I just think...

"Krystal...

"But I can feel...

"Krystal!"

The vixen looked up at the harsh tone on Katt's voice, meeting her crystal blue eyes and the reassurance that was in them. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You cant judge how things are going to go based on what Fox is thinking. I'm sure that if you had an old 'male' friend paying us a visit Fox would be as jealous as ever. But he wouldn't show it. He wouldn't risk ruining your friends visit."

Krystal bit her lip and leaned back in her chair, knowing that she was right. It was amazing how down to earth Katt was now that they were friends. They could talk to each other about anything, even something as personal as love, and in this case jealousy. And Katt had the right advice, regardless of how much the vixen didn't want to accept it. She had no reason to get worked up over a visit from an old friend of his. And she also couldn't judge anyone, especially Fox, based on their thoughts.

__It's what he does in real life that matters. Once Fara gets here I'm sure he'll treat me the same as always; awkward and nervous, shy, with that same look in his eyes.__

She couldn't help but smile as she pictured his face, nodding at Katt in response to her advice, "Yeah, your right."

"Krystal..." Katt continued, still noticing unsureness in her friend, "All the time I've known Fox he's hardly ever once mentioned or talked about Fara. But since you've joined the team he hasn't shut up about you. Now I'm no relationship specialist, but I think that means you've got his attention. Don't worry about this, just do what you've been doing and I promise it'll all pay off."

"What I've been doing?"

"Yeah, ya know, acting like there's no towels in the bathroom and such..." Katt replied, a smirk on her face as she stood from the table and made her way towards the lounge.

"You think I did that on purpose?" Krystal replied, her face growing red as she sat her chair back on all fours. "You're joking right?"

Katt merely flicked her in the face with her tail before making her way out of the kitchen, "You tell me!"

The vixen rolled her eyes and turned back to her empty bowl of cereal, looking down at the spoon and eyeing her reflection. She knew Katt was probably right, or at least she hoped she was. The fact that a visit from Fara bothered her this much was amazing, but it proved one thing. She __truly __loved Fox, and a visit from another vixen, one that he used to have feelings for, really put a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

__What if they end up getting back together? I mean, they both know they used to have feelings for each other. Fox doesn't know I love him, at least I don't think he does, so what if he just decides to take this opportunity to get back together with Fara? Would he really just leave me like that?__

"Why not?" she asked herself out loud. "It's not like he knows how you feel..."

She sighed and leaned her head down on the table, her mind racing to find some reassuring thought for itself now that Katt was gone.

__I'm getting all worked up over nothing. This is just a visit from an old friend and nothing more. Maybe she'll be gone in less than a week and nothing will change.__

But she couldn't shake the feeling that Fara was paying them a visit for more than just financial aid. You don't look up an old boyfriend after five years just to stop by, spend the week, and leave forever.

Something was going to happen and regardless of how it ended someone would be hurt.

000


	4. Enter: Fara Phoenix

000

The blue vixen watched the hanger doors slowly open, allowing the cold vacuum of space to enter the bay and pull on anything that wasn't fastened down. She looked over to her left at the rest of her teammates who waited in the control room for the boarding process to end, her eyes finally resting on the vulpine. It irritated her that excitement was apparent in his expression, mixed with a sense of nervousness and maybe even apprehension.

__I don't even have to read his mind anymore.__

Katt must have caught on because the pink feline nudged her in the side and gave her a look of annoyance. She knew all too well what the vixen was thinking. Telepathy wasn't needed to read the thoughts and expressions that Krystal was presenting, only a secret, universally known feminine code.

The vixen sighed and looked away, her eyes now locking onto the red Arwing that had just entered the hanger and latched onto a set of landing gear.

"All clear," Peppy stated.

Almost instantly Fox threw the door open, catching his breath as the last few frozen, dioxide filled breaths of space still remained within the hanger. The vulpine didn't hesitate however and jumped down the stairway, the rest of them following suit, Krystal trailing in the back with Katt by her side.

"Just be nice and I promise you'll have nothing to worry about," Katt whispered, holding the door at the bottom of the stairway open for her.

"Please Katt, I'm not a child." She replied, rolling her eyes and continuing behind the group. "I think I can act like an adult for a few days."

"I hope so,"

She looked over at Katt who merely grinned and shrugged. The feline wanted to believe Krystal was telling her the truth but in reality she knew that her feelings for Fox would get in the way. Fara and him had once been in love and that was something that ate at the vixen more than it should have.

"It's not like I'm going to do anything. Besides," she added, too soft for Katt to hear, "If they still have feelings for each other then who am I to stop them."

They had reached the Arwing now and almost instantly the canopy flew open, revealing the brown fox before them. Without a moments hesitation Fox jumped up on the wing and extended a hand and stating, "Welcome aboard!"

From their vantage point on the floor Krystal watched as the hand was slapped away and replaced by a body as Fara flung herself up into the vulpine's arms, choosing a hug rather than hand shake. Surprise flooded his face but he wasted no time in returning the embrace, ignoring the redness overtook him.

"Oh Fox it's been so long!" she stated happily, pulling back and looking him over.

"Yeah," he replied with a chuckle, "It's been a few years hasn't it?"

"And look at you, you haven't changed a bit. Still wearing that old white pull over I got you!"

The vulpine grinned and rubbed the back of his head, realization finally kicking in as he noticed the rest of the team on the ground. "Oh yeah, I'm sure you want to meet the team!"

Fara nodded and hopped down from the wing. Actually she performed a rather impressive front flip off the ship, landing directly in front of Falco who merely shook his head. "Still a show off after all these years huh Fara?" he asked with a grin.

She laughed and leaned forward, applying another hug but this one obviously lacking in the 'feeling' department.

"And there's Peppy and Slippy! You two still working for Fox? What's he pay you with? IOU's?" The three laughed as she wrapped her arms around their necks and gave another hug before moving up and turning towards Katt and Krystal.

"Here are the only members on the team you __actually__ need to meet." Fox stated, stepping up beside her. "Fara this is Katt and Krystal."

Fara smiled and, as before but with obvious assumptions already being made, gave each of them a hug. "Katt," Fox added, "Was with Falco a little while and decided to join us to help out with our missions and I met Krystal on Sauria at Krazoa Palace...

"Oh yeah," Fara answered, "I've heard about you're heroic rescue mission on Sauria. Just like you to save the helpless Foxy."

Katt's eyes widened, hoping that Krystal didn't take offense or respond negatively. She looked over at the sapphire vixen who merely smiled and replied, "Yeah he sure is heroic all right,"

The vulpine blushed and nodded in response before turning back to Fara, "So now that you've got acquainted with everyone how about I show you around the ship? I know its been a while since you've been aboard."

"Sounds great!" Fara replied, looking over at Katt and Krystal once more, "It was nice meeting you."

The two vixen's met each others gaze and, unbeknownst to Fara, Krystal instantly had access to every thought and memory that she wanted. Yet as soon as she had arrived the brown vixen was gone, along with everyone else except Katt who still stood by Krystal's side.

__Her thoughts were hard to read, almost as if they were being disguised...but I still felt it.__

"It's just as I thought," she murmured to Katt, looking at the floor, "She's still in love with him."

"You don't know that,"

"I can read minds Katt, I know what she's thinking."

"You may be able to read minds, but I've yet to meet a Cerenian who can read hearts."

Krystal closed her eyes and took a deep breath, following the vulpine's thoughts throughout the ship as he escorted Fara around. "Well one thing is for sure," she answered sadly, "She already hates me."

Katt scoffed and rested her shoulder against the Arwing, "You don't know that either. You are just assuming the worst."

The vixen sighed and looked up at the plane, deciding to change the subject if only slightly. "Regardless," she said, running a paw over the plane, "She's not in any financial trouble."

"I'd say," Katt answered, stepping back and looking over the ship, "I'd say this Arwing alone is worth half as much as GreatFox, just look at the engine on it! It would blow ours away."

"But we both know its the pilot, not the plane, that makes the difference."

"From what I've heard she knows how to hold her own," the feline responded, "In a dogfight anyways. I don't know how good she is hand to hand."

Krystal nodded, silently thinking to herself of how the brown fox was basically her superior in every way. She could fly, fight, and had all kinds of credits. __Yeah but I can pilot an Arwing, and I know how to defend myself, and I may not have a lot of money, but I do my best...oh...who am I kidding?__

"But regardless," Katt continued, "If she's willing lend some credits then I'll take it, I'm tired of us all having to use the same shower."

"Yeah," the vixen answered, her mind flying back to the morning in the hallway where she had ran into Fox.

"_**_**You look beautiful today Krystal."**_**_

She had played the vulpine's words over and over all day long, cherishing them and doing her best to decipher a deeper meaning. But now, as he and Fara trekked across the ship together, she couldn't help but wonder if those words had any actual meaning behind them at all.

"Krystal. Krystal honey please snap out of it."

The vixen jerked her head up at the sound of Katt's voice in her ear. Apparently she had zoned out while the feline had been talking, not hearing a single word while being lost in her memories and contradicting thoughts.

"Oh sorry," she replied timidly, "I was just thinking about something...

The pink cat rubbed her forehead in frustration, "I knew this was going to happen," she answered, turning towards the stairway and heading across the hanger.

"No Katt its not about Fara its just...

"I know what it's about," she interrupted, "And I fear it its going to stay that way for a while."

Krystal followed behind her, figuring Katt was just trying to be helpful in the best way she knew how. But the vixen couldn't help but find a dark truth in her words and she was left with a sick feeling in her stomach.

__I fear you might be right.__

000 10pm

"And this is where you will be sleeping. I hope it will do, if not we can work on it."

"This is fine Fox, but whose room was this?"

"Its my room, but don't worry about it." he added quickly, not wanting to install guilt in his guest, "I actually end up sleeping on the couch more nights than not. The television always puts me to sleep."

Fara frowned at him, knowing he was telling a lie in order to give the brown vixen his room, but she decided to accept his gift, knowing Fox would have his courteous way eventually. The frown faded and was replaced with a smile as she placed a hand on the door handle and began to open the door.

"Still as much of a gentleman as you ever were aren't you?" she asked, grabbing her suitcase.

The vulpine blushed and looked at the floor, "I just want your stay here to be as comfortable as possible."

There was a brief silence between them before he managed to look up and add, "Well, its getting kinda late. I guess I'll let you get unpacked. If you need anything feel free to get me."

He began to turn around and head down the hall to the lounge but a paw on his should pulled him back and before he could stop himself the vulpine found his mouth pressed up against hers. It was only a second or two before she pulled away and smiled at him, adding one last line before closing the door in his face and leaving him in a state of shock.

"I won't hesitate."

__Wow__

He stood there for a second, trying to piece together what was really a simple puzzle. __So she still likes me? Loves me? Is that what it means?__

Once more he turned towards the lounge, this time being greeted with another, even __more __shocking sight.

"Krystal...

The vixen was at the end of the hallway, dressed for bed in jogging pants and a tight t-shirt, but while her body looked flawlessly amazing it was the look in her eyes that caught the vulpine off guard. She was hurt. She had saw Fara kiss him, and him kiss her back.

She held her composure though, not letting anything other then her eyes betray her inward decimation as she padded softly down the hallway, smiling at him and whispering, "Good night Fox," before entering her room. He gently pressed his ear against the door, immediately hearing the sound of a body flopping down on a mattress. A part of him wanted to go in and comfort her, to tell her how he felt...and before Fara had arrived he would have. But now he just didn't know.

__I don't stand a chance with someone like her, but Fara, somehow she still feels something for me. But...do I love her?__

He knew the answer in his heart, but he didn't want to admit it. The truth was he was too afraid of being rejected to admit his feelings for her, so maybe being friends was as far as he'd ever get.

000


	5. Playing Her Game

000

"How could you ever think that?"

A blush crossed the vixen's face and she looked towards the ground in order to hide her nervousness from him.

"I-I don't know," she muttered softly, "It's just...the way you act around her, and all those things you do for her, I just assumed...

The vulpine cut her off by grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

She looked up at him, the fox grinning back at her for only a second before pressing his lips against hers and easing down on the bed behind them. The vixen's heart raced as her paws made their way across his body, never wanting to lose the feeling of his warm fur against her. His hands made their way further down her backside until they rested on each side of her tail, pulling her tighter against him as the two fought for dominance.

__I cant believe this is happening! Fox ___**_**does **_**___love me!__

She brought her paws up to his waist and pulled up on his shirt, wanting to see the rest of his well-toned body. But it was then that she noticed something wasn't right. As she pulled the shirt further up over his torso she saw more and more of herself, except it wasn't __her __body. Her hands and arms were no longer the sapphire blue that she had been born with, and the markings on her arms were no longer visible. It only took a few short seconds before the sick realization struck her and ruined the perfect moment.

This was Fara's body.

Instantly she was thrown back into reality, jerking upright in her bed and struggling to catch her breath as the nightmare came flooding back to her.

__Oh great. As if the real world wasn't bad enough, now I'm dreaming about losing him.__

For the next few minutes she sat there, arms wrapped around her knees as she reluctantly continued to replay the dream over and over in her head. Fara had only been with them one day yet it felt like a month. What Krystal still had yet to do with Fox, Fara did in a few hours.

__How could she just kiss him like that, after all these years? For all she knows me and Fox are a couple!__

"But we're not," she mumbled silently.

She sighed and threw the covers back, stepping to the side of her bed and stretching her arms and legs. It was still early, barely 6 am, but she knew after that dream she wouldn't find sleep again. She made her way across the room and down the hallway to the bathroom. Regardless of what kind of day she would end up having the least she could do was take Katt's advice.

"_**_**You've got to make a few moves of your own," **_**_she had said the day before, **__**"You know how Fox is. Unless you drop a few hints his way he'll never catch on."**__**

She continued down the hall, pausing for a brief second in front of the vulpine's room where Fara was still sleeping. She couldn't help but clench her fists as the image of the brown vixen kissing Fox flashed into her mind once again. So badly she wanted to kick her door open and tell that brown slut to back off, that Fox was __hers __and nobody elses and that if she had a problem with it they could settle it right then and there. And Krystal had no doubt she would best Fara. Sure fighting was in both their systems, but Fara was known for being a pilot first and a fighter second, whereas with Krystal it was the other way around.

__But that's not me. I couldn't do that.__

She had made her way into the shower by now, the water getting warm as she discarded her clothes and stepped inside.

"Besides, how could I tell her Fox is mine when hes not."

She looked up at the shower head, allowing the warm water to hit her face, grateful for its soothing touch on her fur. So many questions churned inside her; __Does Fox love me or Fara? Does Fara still love him? Does he know I saw them last night? Does that bother him? Does he feel bad?__

"Does he know I love him?"

She tried to clear her mind but knew it would be pointless. Until Fara left, whenever that would be, she would be torn up on the inside, both in her mind and heart. And of course this sparked even more questions; would Fox leave with Fara? Would Fara stay with them? Would Fox want Krystal around with Fara by his side?

__You're overreacting. Fox wouldn't do that, not the Fox I know. Not the Fox I love.__

For the rest of her shower the vixen battled her doubt, in a losing effort, and eventually gave up, shut off the water and stepped out.

"_**_**You'll never get anywhere with this attitude," **_**_Katt had stated, sitting beside the vixen in her bedroom, watching tv. **__**"You need to be yourself. Just be normal and keep doing all those things you do that make Fox blush and look all nervous and fidgety."**__**

"What stuff?" the vixen had asked.

Katt merely smiled and looked back at the television.

__Regardless, I'm not going to let Fara get under my fur. She knows I have feelings for Fox.__

It was Sunday and this was usually the team's day off. If she was going to spend any time with Fox then today would be ideal. Especially while Fara was here. The vixen had dried off and wrapped a towel around herself, just high enough to cover the essentials and low enough to conceal the base of her tail, but just barely. She opened the door and instantly heard the sound of movement in the kitchen. Allowing her mind to wander in the general direction she instantly picked up on Fox's thoughts.

**_**Need to make a food run, not much here to choose from and I don't want Fara eating like a dog.**_**

Krystal bit her lower lip and did her best not to focus on how much he was concerned with impressing Fara, instead she tried to channel her attention towards impressing him__. __Without giving it a second thought she softly padded down the hallway towards the lounge, fixing her hair to where it hung over her face somewhat and then pulling the towel tighter around her.

__Two can play at this game Fara.__

The fact that she looked somewhat slutty was obvious, but the vixen also knew what was hot to guys like Fox, and right now she was it. She entered the kitchen, her footsteps becoming audible now as the floor went from carpet to hard tile, and almost instantly Fox glanced up from his bowl of cereal, freezing in place as he looked over the sight before him.

"Good morning Fox," she said nicely, catching his gaze and smiling at the look of awe that was on his face.

"Krystal morning...good..." he said clumsily, finally tearing his eyes from her and looking back down at his cereal. "Err, I mean...good morning Krystal. Sleep well?"

__That depends. Do you consider a dream about the one you love ending up with another vixen good or bad?__

"I was a little restless," she murmured, reaching into the upper cupboard for a box of cereal, if there was any left.

She had her back to him but out of the corner of her eye she caught his gaze resting on her backside and decided to take another giant risk.

"I'll feel better though, once I can find the damn cereal," she added, bending over directly in front of the vulpine and searching through the cupboards along the floor. Quickly she found a box of cheerios and stood back up, turning around to a very red faced Fox McCloud, who instantly looked back down at his bowl of cereal when she tried to meet his gaze.

__I feel so sleazy for doing something like this, but if it's what I have to do to let him know how I feel and keep Fara from stealing him, then what do I have to lose?__

She fetched a bowl and the milk, allowing her mind to slip into the vulpine's as she prepared her breakfast. __Now to see what he's thinking.__

**_**Don't stand up, don't stand up, don't stand up. For god sake don't stand up! Just act normal, eat super slow, and pretend you didn't see that. But damn though...**_**

Krystal grinned to herself and turned back towards the table, setting her bowl down across from Fox and brushing a few of her bangs out of the way before eating a spoonful. __Okay now don't stop, you've gone this far, no point in quitting now.__

"You know," she spoke after swallowing the first bite, "I really need to run a few errands, grab a few things back on Corneria. Anything you want me to get?"

The vulpine looked up, obviously relaxed at the small talk that would take his attention off 'other' things.

"Oh, umm...well to be honest, the ship is running kinda low on food and provisions and I had planned on making a trip today...around lunch," he replied, catching her gaze and looking away with a blush, "Would you...like to join me? We could bring a lot more back with two Arwing's than just one, and I don't feel like taking GreatFox into port until we get a few more repairs made."

The vixen swallowed another spoonful of cereal before leaning back in her chair and brushing the bangs out of her eyes again, once more noticing the vulpine's gaze resting on her upper torso for a brief moment before flashing nervously away.

"Sure," she replied softly, "I'd love to."

A look of relief flooded his face and he returned her smile before eating another spoonful. So far the morning had been a success. She had taken Katt's advice and it had actually paid off! Although it didn't feel right acting this way, she couldn't help but enjoy the naughty sensation that it left inside of her...and him.

She realized she was just about finished with her cereal, having not poured that much out to begin with, and would end up getting done before him.. __Do something else, just make one more move to put an exclamation point on this.__

She looked up and met his gaze, realizing he had been staring at her once more, and causing him to naturally look away in embarrassment like always. Without skipping a beat the vixen picked up her bowl and began sipping the milk, waiting until there was just a spoonful left before allowing the rim to 'accidentally' slip from her muzzle and run down her chin and between her breasts. Fox, still hooked on the sapphire vixen's half naked beauty, had been watching and saw it all and, of course, thought it was just an accident.

"Ugh," she growled, reaching across the table for a napkin, "I cant believe I did that."

She preciously began dabbing the paper between her white furred breasts, making sure to slide the towel down even further in order to reach deeper. __If this isn't enough of a hint then I don't know what is.__

After a few more seconds of teasing she finally wadded the napkin up and threw it in the trash, turning and placing her bowl in the sink afterward before looking back over at him. The vulpine was still in his seat, wishing that modern day chivalry would've allowed him to clean Krystal's mess for her. The vixen laughed softly to herself and made her way around the table, stopping only to flick the stunned vulpine on the ear before heading down the hall.

"See ya later Fox."

000

She had just made it back to her bedroom door, her heart still racing from the events that had just transpired, when she heard a set of footsteps behind her. She turned slowly, expecting Fox or Katt but instead turning face to face with no one other than Fara.

"Good morning," the blue vixen said plainly, trying throwing her mind into the fennec fox's in order to search her thoughts and figure out what she wanted.

"Sure..." came the dull reply, "That was a cute little act you put on in there," she added, cutting right to the chase.

__Nowhere near as friendly without Fox around are you? I can't say I'm surprised. But let's see what you're really thinking...__

Instantly though Krystal was thrown out of her thoughts, something that she had never experienced before and causing the sapphire fox to fall back against her bedroom door, clenching her temple in pain.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," she finally managed to answer, her eyes now shut in discomfort as she tried to fight off the throbbing in her forehead.

Fara laughed and placed a hand on each side of Krystal's head, a look of pure hate on her face as she prevented the blue vixen from escaping. "Don't play dumb with me," she hissed, "The bath towel, your hair, the cereal, and that pathetic spilled milk routine? As if you really think you have a shot with him."

The throbbing in her head had begun to fade and the vixen had only just began to open her mouth to reply when the door beside them opened up and the pink coat of Katt stepped out. Without missing a beat Fara stood up and continued down the hallway, looking back only once at Krystal with a look that could turn one to stone. It wasn't until after she finally rounded the corner into the lounge, most likely to cling onto Fox's shoulder, that Krystal allowed herself to slide to the floor, once more clutching her forehead as the pain continued to reside in her temple.

"It's okay," Katt started, preventing her from speaking, "I heard everything...but what happened? Did she hurt you?"

Krystal sighed and looked over at her best friend, not quite sure what to tell her. Physically, Fara hadn't touched her. Yet at the moment that's what the pain was. Physical. To be honest though, it was the mental damage that she was still trying to get over.

__I've got more than a shot with Fox, and I wont let you tell me otherwise. What I don't understand is how you kicked me out of your thoughts. No one can do that.__

"I'm fine," she replied, standing up and brushing the hair from her eyes, "C'mon, we can talk in my room."

000


	6. A Crazy Plan

000

The blue fox zipped up her final purple boot and stood up, stepping her foot into place and finalizing her attire. The flight suit wasn't her favorite choice of clothing but she had decided to go with it today for a couple of reasons. The first, and most important one, being the way it made her look. Either because of its design, or simply small size, the purple and black article of clothing hugged every curve on the vixen's body and she had caught Fox, on countless occasions, looking her over while wearing it. Right now all she wanted to do was look her best for him, and the flight suit would, as it always had, catch his eye.

Other reasons of course were simply because she didn't have that much to choose from when it came to 'casual' attire, and the last thing she wanted to do was dress like someone from a mental institute while Fara was around. That and the fact that it __was__ pretty comfortable.

She looked into the mirror and worked her hair over, determined to look as attractive as possible while the fennec fox was with them.

__It's not like I didn't do this before she arrived, but now, especially after this morning, its not an option. It's necessary.__

The events that had transpired only a few hours ago were still fresh on her mind. Fara had saw her around Fox, she had noticed how his eyes widened in surprise and pleasure as the sapphire vixen hunted for her cereal, how he had to summon all the strength he could in order to refrain from lunging on top of her after she had 'spilled' her milk on her chest. Fara had saw it all and the competition that she __thought__ she might have with the vixen was finally confirmed.

They both wanted him.

What Krystal didn't know was minutes after their confrontation in the hallway Fara had entered herself in the expedition for food and supplies, causing what could have originally been called a 'date' of some sorts to become a nightmare. The fennec fox had no intention of allowing the vulpine and Krystal any alone time. Ever.

The sapphire vixen glanced over at the digital clock by her bed, it's pixelated numbers reading 8:48am in response. It had been just after 6 that morning when she had met Fox and eventually Fara, and the vulpine had came to her only once since then, around 8am, stating they would be leaving in an hour for Corneria.

"I'll be getting the Arwing's ready," he added, struggling to hold his gaze level with hers without blushing, "But there's no rush so just take your time."

"Thank you Fox," she replied, smiling before turning and walking down the hallway to her bedroom at a rather slow pace.

She knew he had watched her, in fact that was the reaction she had wanted from him, why else would she have been wearing nothing other than a white t-shirt over her essentials and skipping out on her jogging pants? She knew it was yet another sleazy move on her part but at this point she didn't really care any more. Fara had given her more than enough reason to act a little fun around Fox, and if that included discarding her pants and walking down the hall towards the lounge with just a shirt covering her bra, then so be it.

__Can't believe I did that. But it __did __feel kinda good...I mean...going by Fox's thoughts I know he didn't mind. Still...acting like this seems like the wrong way to go about it.__

She sighed and opened the door to her room, making her way down the hall towards the lounge. Of course it wasn't mature of her to act that way, and it wasn't in her nature either, but there was something about Fox, something about losing him to Fara that just made her forget about her standards and do what needed to be done.

"_**_**You aren't doing anything I wouldn't do," **_**_Katt had said earlier that morning, **__**"In fact I'd be doing a bit more, if you know what I'm saying." **__**she finished, cracking her knuckles to add emphasis.

A big part of her really __did __want to fight Fara. As soon as she realized this though a new thought hit her, one that took her by surprise as she realized the ferocity behind it.

__I'm willing to kill for him.__

Extreme, yes, but still the truth. Whether or not he felt the same way she still loved Fox more than anyone or anything else in the galaxy, and she'd do anything for him. She owed him that much simply for saving her life, but it went much much deeper than that and she could only pray he realized it.

She entered the lounge and gave a quick look around, catching Peppy and Slippy both in the kitchen sitting at the table.

"Morning guys," she said cheerfully, making her way over.

"Hiya Krystal," Slippy said, his mouth full of Honey Smacks cereal. (Get it? Because the Honey Smacks cereal mascot is a frog? Hah. I'm a comical genius)

"G'mornin'" Peppy added, flipping his newspaper over to another page as he chewed on a piece of toast. "I hear you, Fox, and Fara are gonna make a trip to Corneria today."

The vixen froze and her smile instantly disappeared. __Fara is joining us? No...no please tell me he's got it wrong!__

"Fara is coming?" she asked, trying to hide her discomfort.

"Yeah," Peppy replied, "She said the three of you could bring back a lot more food than just two Arwings, and Fox agreed."

__Damnit! I should have known this was going to happen! It was so obvious! Of course she'd get it out of Fox and of course she'd insist on coming. There's no way she's going to allow us to be alone.__

"Ah okay," the vixen replied, "Yeah that sounds like a good idea,"

Peppy looked up from his paper, an intrigued expression on his face. The old hare may not have been born with telepathic abilities like Krystal but he had been around long enough to see what was going on. In fact, unbeknownst to the rest of them, he had counted on this. Back when he had been training Fox as a cadet, after the two of them had split up the first time, he knew that Fara would come around again, hence her current visit. But she hadn't counted on Krystal and the love triangle that would ensue as they both fought for him.

Leaving the two vixens in the same room for more than a minute seemed like a bad idea to the rabbit, but leaving the two vixens alone with Fox for an entire afternoon seemed like a catastrophe. The minute Fara arrived and laid eyes on Krystal a fuse had been lit, and he had no idea when or where they would be when the bomb went off. But it was inevitable, of that he was certain.

"Krystal," he started, standing up and leading her across the lounge towards the bridge, only continuing after they were out of earshot of Slippy, "I'm not going to pretend like I know what's going on, even though I have a good idea."

"Peppy...

"But!" he continued, interrupting her, "I will say this. I've known Fara for a long time and, despite her rich girl appearance, she is not to be taken lightly."

He stopped here, waiting for the vixen to speak but getting nothing but a troubled look from her in response.

"I don't know what might happen, but I do know that by the end of her stay with us something will have changed." he went on, a knowing and worried look in his eyes, "I also know this is none of my business, I'm too old to get involved in matters such as love...

"Love?" Krystal asked nervously, surprised that he knew so much about her feelings towards the vulpine.

He merely smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder, "Just remember that regardless of what happens, good or bad, we're still here for you."

The rabbit's paw left her and he made his way back to the kitchen, leaving the vixen with the strangest combination of comfort and fear she had ever felt. __So he's saying that if I lose him to Fara I'll still have them as friends? Does he think Fox will choose her over me?__

"Hey," a voice came from behind causing her to jump.

She turned around and saw Katt, an amused smile on her face. "Hey," she replied, continuing towards the bridge.

"You about to leave?" the pink feline asked, getting beside her and matching her pace.

The blue vixen nodded, a solemn look still overtaking her.

"Oh now what's wrong?"

"Fara." she muttered coldly. "What else?"

"Like I didn't see that coming."

"She's invited herself to join me and Fox on the trip."

Katt stopped and turned towards her, a look of annoyed disbelief on her face. "Are you serious?"

Once more the vixen nodded, "Yeah, I guess I shoulda saw it coming though," she replied, turning and leaning against the handrail, looking out over the hanger where Fox and Falco were preparing their planes.

"I cant believe her. She's willing to go that far huh?" Katt asked, leaning beside her and following her gaze.

"Probably a lot farther."

A moment of silence occupied them before Katt finally stood up, a determined look on her face. "Well If she wants to play dirty then so can we!"

The vixen regretfully tore her gaze away from the vulpine below her, facing Katt's fierce line of sight. Part of her wanted to probe her mind to see what she was thinking but the opportunity would never come forth before the pink cat blurted it out.

"Right before I met you in the hallway Fara was getting in the shower," she started, a look of evil mixed with excitement on her face.

"So?" asked the vixen, figuring the brown vixen was just going to try and upstage her in the 'looks' department in front of Fox.

"Well you know how sometimes the bathroom door handle gets locked if someone from the outside sticks something in the keyhole?"

The vixen's gaze jerked upward as realization set in on what Katt was saying. "Wait you mean you want to...

"We could call it an accident!" she proclaimed darkly, running her hands over each other for dramatic effect, obviously much more excited about helping out her friend than Krystal was.

__Lock her in the bathroom? There's no way that would work, its stupid. There's too many variables, and besides, Fara could probably just kick the door down if she's half as strong as I think she is.__

Katt must have noticed the look of doubt she wore because she took a deep breath and restated it once more, "Look, I'll just go up there and jimmy the lock, I've done it before to Falco as a prank. When Fara tries to leave I'll be outside pretending to be waiting for the shower myself. When she cant get the door open I'll tell her to wait there and I'll fetch Fox. But in reality I'll meet you two down here and tell him that she said to go on without her and that she'll be fine."

__Yeah but this isn't a prank. This isn't some childish game with her, this is so much more than that.__

The plan still seemed farfetched and highly unlikely to succeed, being as it had more holes in it than Swiss cheese, but there was something inside the vixen that told her to go with it. What did she have to lose? If it failed and Fara managed to get out before they left they could just consider it bad luck and only her and Katt would be the wiser. However if it went off the way Katt had just explained, with Fara remaining trapped inside the bathroom waiting for a hero that would never arrive, then the sapphire fox would get to spend the entire afternoon with the vulpine.

Which she desperately wanted, especially now of all times.

She continued to think it over, apparently still wearing a look of doubt as Katt added, "Krystal you've got to trust me. If you __really __want to win Fox over you've got to take a few chances, break some rules, cut some corners. What have you got to lose by playing __her __game?"

The vixen bit her lip and looked down at the vulpine in the hanger once more, imagining herself in his arms as she had done countless times before.

"If you don't try you might lose him to her," Katt added, the seriousness in her tone shaking her to the core.

"Do it." she finally replied, not a trace of doubt in her voice.

Katt grinned and nodded, taking off down the bridge back towards the lounge, "Just head on down to the hanger and get ready, leave the rest to me!"

"Right," she mumbled to herself.

__All right Fara, I guess the gloves are off.__

000

"I told her we were leaving at 9." the vulpine said out loud, checking the clock in his Arwing.

"Maybe she's running late," the blue vixen responded through her headset.

The two foxes were in their Arwings, strapped in and ready to go. The only one missing was Fara who, by the time shown in their cockpits, was 10 minutes late.

__C'mon Katt...hurry it up!__

A part of her figured the plan had failed and Fara was probably on her way at the moment, but another part reminded her to have faith in her friend. If there was one thing she had learned about Katt Monroe it was to trust her. She held good on her promises and would do whatever it took, especially for a friend such as Krystal, to make sure they were held. Plus as sly and witty as the pink cat was she could've easily locked up the door and lied about it without Fara having the slightest clue.

__But Fara knows we're friends, what if she figures out what's going on and doesn't wait for Katt to fetch Fox?__

A pool of 'what-if' thoughts filled her mind and she was forced to sit there and decipher them all while waiting for an answer. She didn't have to wait long however as seconds later there was a crackling over their headsets and Slippy's voice filled their ears.

"Hey guys," he said in his usual high pitched tone, "Umm, Fara got locked in the bathroom, I remember when that happened to me, man that sucked, I was in there for like 2 hours because Falco was the only one here and he had his iPod in...anyways, Katt is working on getting her out and she said to just go on without her."

An overwhelming feeling of relief swept over her and the vixen was instantly praising her pink feline friend in her mind.

"Ah jeeze," Fox replied, cutting the vixen's mental celebration short, "Figures that would happen while she was here."

Slippy laughed before answering him, "Yeah, its always funny when its happening to someone else though."

Krystal couldn't help but laugh at this as well, imagining the annoyed brown vixen trapped inside the bathroom, knowing that her attempt at destroying Krystal's trip with Fox had failed.

"And she said to just go on without her?" the vulpine asked, still not sure on what to do.

__Please, just forget about her and go!__

"Yeah, Katt said she'd take care of it and that you two should go ahead on your own," Slippy answered honestly, having no idea how crucial a part he was playing in their plan.

"Well...if she says so...

"Don't worry Fox," the blue vixen said smoothly, "We can handle it on our own,"

The seductive tone in her voice brought a blush to his face that she had no trouble imagining was there, and he wasted little time before complying with her request.

"Y-yeah...of course we can," he replied nervously, "Go ahead and open the hanger doors Slippy, we'll be on our way."

"Yes sir!" came the high pitched reply.

Almost instantly the door unlocked and slid open, pulling at everything as the empty vacuum of space filled the hanger. As soon as they finished moving the vulpine pulled the release on his Arwing and shot out of the hanger, immediately followed by Krystal. The plan had worked. Someway, somehow, Katt's dark little plan had worked. She would get to spend the day with Fox, just him and her. And it was with a troubling thought that she realized that these next few hours with him might be the last ones they have together, alone, in a long time.

__If I'm going to make a move I better make it today. I've got to tell him how I feel, or at least show him somehow.__

000


	7. Her Secret

000

"So...you and Fox used to train together?"

"Yep."

Katt flinched at the harsh tone Fara responded with, grateful that there was still a bathroom door between the two of them. For the past hour the pink feline had been doing her best to remain calm and act casual about the whole situation, trying to make small talk as she 'worked' on the lock to the door.

__Krystal and Fox may have left without her, although she doesn't __know__that but has prolly guessed by now...but I still wouldn't put it past her to take off after them. I'll just do my best to keep her 'occupied' until they return. I just hope Krystal realizes her opportunity before its too late.__

"Who would you say was the better pilot then? Him or you?"

An annoyed sigh came from the other side of the door but Katt ignored it. By now she was sure Fara knew what they had done, or at least had an idea of some sorts, but she should have seen it coming. After doing what she did to Krystal, to play dirty like that, she should have expected turnabout to be fair play.

"Fox was always the better pilot," Fara finally responded, a hint of admiration in her tone, "He was the best at everything though, that's one of the reasons I fell for him. He was just perfect."

__Please, you only fell for him because of his fame. I'm still a mercenary, I know the story behind the great Fox McCloud too.__

"I know I could never seem to beat him in the simulator," Katt replied, wanting to get away from the personal side of the conversation.

A stuck up laugh came from the brown vixen, "Of course you couldn't. You wouldn't even get a shot off before he blasted you out of space."

The pink cat bit her lip, pressuring the fighting side of her to stay calm and hold back the snappy retort that would worsen her relationship with the fox. Instead she returned her attention to the lock, having not done anything of importance for the last thirty minutes rather than poke the paper clip against the back tumbler to give Fara the impression she was actually making progress. The truth was, had Katt really been trying to get Fara out, they would've been done within five minutes. But of course that wasn't the goal.

__Just keep stalling.__

"Anyways," she continued, deciding not to respond to Fara's insult, "What made you want to pay Fox a visit after all these years?"

"Oh just a couple of things," Fara replied, studying the ceiling tiles now, "My father plays a big role in the Cornerian Military as well as Papetoon's and he lets me know how Fox and his team are doing from time to time. Just a few weeks ago he ran into Fox and found out how bad a shape he was in financially."

"Yeah," Katt answered, still poking at the lock, "Credits aren't as easy to come by in the middle of a war."

"True," the vixen responded, climbing up onto the sink now and pressing up on the ceiling tile by the door. "And of course when my father offered him some assistance Fox declined. It's just like him to do something like that thought," she ended dreamily.

"Charity isn't something a lot of people like accepting."

"Also true," Fara answered again, poking her head through the open square and looking around, "That's why I'm here. I came back to visit and help out. I want to thank Fox for all the things he has done for me over the years."

Katt frowned. Something wasn't right about that. But before she could give it any more thought the ceiling tile above her was popped out of place, giving her only a seconds heads up before Fara landed beside her, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"And I'm going to repay him every way I know how."

000

"Where first?"

The two foxes stood alongside each other, just past the exit of the Cornerian International Airport where they had left their Arwings. Fox had wanted to hail a cab or rent a car for them so she wouldn't have to walk but she insisted she'd rather stretch her legs and enjoy the beautiful day, giving him a smile before walking ahead and leaving him red faced.

"It's just past ten," he replied, looking down and admiring her body from behind, "We've got plenty of time to get everything and get back to the airport before sunset."

She slowed her pace until they were side by side, now only a block away from Corneria's famous 'Strip' full of stores, restaurants, casinos, hotels, bars, and many many more tourist attractions that went on for nearly five miles. If there was ever a chance the two of them would hook up, this magnificent city might just be the place it happened in.

"Well, when you said supplies were you talking about food or what?"

"Yeah," he answered, taking a deep breath as the breeze carried her scent across his path, "Just some stuff to hold us over for a few weeks, maybe some new clothes too. That okay?"

She smiled and shook her head, "You don't have to get my approval Fox."

He grinned and looked ahead, "Sure I do," he replied "Yours and Katt's both."

The two shared a laugh and continued down the decently crowded street. So far everything was going good, no stupid mistakes, no conversations about Fara, and most importantly no __sign __of Fara. Apparently Katt's childish prank had worked because now, instead of three foxes walking down the street, there were only two, and she had every intention of making the most out of their alone time.

"Well that's nice to know," she replied with a laugh, stepping closer to him.

"W-what about you?" he asked nervously, blushing from the closeness the vixen presented, "Where did you need to go?"

It was at that point that she realized she had no idea how to answer him. Sure, earlier that morning she had told him she needed to get a few things on Corneria, but that was only because she knew he was going there as well. But now that they were here she had to think of something...

__Clothes! Just find a store and try on some clothes! That should work.__

She looked on further down the street until she finally saw a place that would work. "I really only needed to go to one place," she responded calmly, "There's a few clothes I'd like to get at the Navy and Finch store."

Noticing a look of curiosity and surprise on his face she added, "I've only got five or six outfits, I figure it wouldn't hurt for me to get a few more sets of stuff to wear around the ship. Plus this flight suit doesn't look good on __anyone."__

"It looks beautiful on you," the vulpine answered instantly, his mind not being fast enough to stop his heart. Immediately he blushed and looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets and biting his lip in embarrassment.

The vixen's face was also red from the comment but she ignored the butterflies in her stomach, instead running her right arm around his left and resting her head on his shoulder as they continued to make their way down the street. Slowly he let out a deep breath, turning his attention back around and breathing in her scent as she leaned against his side. His heart wanted him to go further with this, to take it to another level, but there was something in the back of his mind that continued to hold him back, something that he could almost call guilt but at the same time fear. But no matter how far she looked into his thoughts she continued to come up empty.

"Krystal," he muttered, struggling to find the right words as she looked up at him with a small smile, "Listen...about...her, I just think you should know...I..."

They had stopped walking, the two foxes now facing each other as he caught her gaze, this time refusing to look away despite the nervous feeling that he felt all over his body.

"...I..."

__Just say it Fox...I don't care what it is, good or bad, just tell me...__

The vulpine sighed and shook his head, waving his hand in dismissal before turning back down the street and resuming their trek, "Just forget it, it's not important."

"Fox, if its about Fara then..."

"No." he replied, this time with more force and determination, "It's nothing. Let's just get you some new clothes."

The vixen bit her lower lip and nodded, wishing she knew the meaning behind those words. But again when she let herself into his mind she found nothing but whiteness. Fox knew her well enough by now to blanket his thoughts when it counted, and apparently now was one of those times.

"Alright."

000

The vulpine sat back in the lounge chair outside the changing room as he waited for the sapphire vixen to reappear. Although he tried desperately not to think about what had happened earlier he couldn't help but replay the scene over and over again, imagining how stupid he looked in front of her.

__Everything was great! Why did I do that? I ruined such a perfect moment with her.__

He imagined the feeling of her arm wrapped around his own once again, her head on his shoulder as she stayed on his side. He could've walked across the Cornerian desert and not noticed it with the vixen clinging to his side like that. As long as he didn't stop and start to say something stupid, only to refrain at the last second...making himself look even __more __stupid.

Needless to say the last few minutes of walking up the street to the store were somewhat awkward, but at least they had managed to restart the conversation once the vixen began asking his opinion of certain outfits. Of course he was useless at this for two reasons, one being that he knew nothing of fashion or clothing. Two being that whenever he imagined Krystal wearing __anything __he __always__ pegged it as 'beautiful.'

Finally the door opened and she poked her head out, "Now I want your honest opinion okay? Don't just say I look good so we can leave or we'll be here even longer."

He rolled his eyes and motioned for her to step out, immediately taken back by the Cerenian's new look. Her flight suit was removed, boots and all, and replaced with something much better. The higher half of her uniform had been replaced with a blue t-shirt that just did reach the vixen's waistline where it met a pair of light blue denim shorts that went almost halfway down to her knees. And in exchange for her boots she now wore a pair of flip flops extremely similar to the ones she had while wearing her tribal uniform.

She was, needless to say, amazing, and the vulpine instantly leaned forward in an attempt to hide any 'obvious' pleasure that might stir in him from seeing her new attire.

__Holy shit.__

"Well?" she asked, turning around to let him see the backside. "Good or bad? I figured since its July and in the 90's every day I might as well get some summer clothes right?"

The vulpine's gaze ran up every curve of the vixen's body until finally meeting her line of sight. Slowly he nodded, well aware of how stupid he looked right now but not really caring as long as she stood before him.

__She looks so damn beautiful, that flight suit was nothing compared to this! Just stop staring you idiot, stop staring at that amazing masterpiece before she thinks your a freak!__

"I uh," he cleared his throat and finally looked away, failing epically at hiding the redness on his face, "I like it. And you're right, its perfect for the summer."

She looked at him for a moment more, an amused twinkle in her eye, before smiling and turning back towards the dressing room. "Fine then," she answered, obviously satisfied with the show she had given him, "I'll get them!"

__Oh thank god!__

"Oh and by the way Fox," she added before closing the door behind her, "I don't think you're a freak."

He clinched his fists, mentally kicking himself as he realized she had heard every single one of his thoughts about how she looked. __Way to go...again! No, no just shut up! Stop thinking! Think about nothing!__

A giggle came from the door of the changing room and the vulpine sighed before resting his face in his paws, his confidence now reduced to a puddle. If this was a game they were playing then he was losing horribly, even though he was enjoying every second of it. But no matter how hard he wanted to go along with this, no matter how much he wanted to just give in and tell her the truth, he knew he couldn't. Not now at least. Fara was still here, and after today they would be back on GreatFox again.

Then what? Would the two of them just pretend like this didn't happen? Would they forget all that had occurred here today and just go on with their daily lives? What would Fara think if she saw this? Would she feel the same way about him if she knew?

__I don't know if she still loves me or not, and I don't know if I still love her, but if I'm ever going to figure out the answers to those questions I cant be doing this with Krystal. Or can I? Is it Krystal I should be focusing on? I mean...she's just so god damn beautiful, there's no way in hell a goddess such as herself could really have feelings for me is there?__

"I don't know," he mumbled, looking up at the mirror across from him. "I know Fara used to love me, but that didn't work out then. I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life, I want someone by my side."

__I love Krystal, damn do I love her. But I just cant see her feeling the same way about me. Would I rather stay friends with her for the rest of my life, or risk telling her how I feel and end up rejected, never to see her again?__

The thought of Krystal leaving him, of never seeing her beautiful smile again, it made his stomach turn over and he felt like he could vomit. He didn't want to lose her, and they were great friends, but to risk going any further than that...if she said no, would it have been worth it?

The sapphire fox reappeared with the clothes over her arm, her flight suit back on once again as she made her way over to where he sat.

"Okay, I've got a few more things here as well so I'd say I'm ready,"

He nodded and stood, following her to the counter where she paid for the clothes and made her way to the door. He began to follow but managed to only go a few feet before the cashier caught his attention by dinging the bell by the register.

"She forget her receipt," the poodle said, ripping it off the printer and handing it to the vulpine.

He nodded his thanks, grabbing it and jogging outside until he caught up with her, looking it over to see how much she had spent.

"Damn," he exclaimed softly, catching her attention, "All that cost you over 500 credits?" his eyes went down the paper even further until it showed her current account balance.

__Only 75 credits? Is that all she has?__

"Krystal, you spent just about all you had saved up back there! Why didn't you tell me you were running so low on money?" he asked, looking at the vixen who, for once, turned away first.

"It's no big deal," she replied softly, "I don't have any huge use for Cornerian money anyways."

"But that doesn't make sense," he responded, still walking by her side down the still slightly crowded street, "You get a base pay of 1000 credits every month like the rest of us...w-what, what do you spend it all on?"

"Nothing," she replied, "I put it in the bank."

"Apparently not your bank!"

"I never said my bank."

The vulpine stopped walking, the vixen following suit as she turned to face the perplexed fox.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean a third of is __does __go into my account, I receive 300 or so credits every month," she answered, looking up as she calculated the math in her head.

"But where's the rest go?" he asked, determined to figure out who or what the vixen had been giving her pay to. "Who gets the 700 credits that __you __earned?"

She bit her lip and turned away, sliding the bag of clothes she had purchased up her arm and onto her shoulder. She hadn't wanted him to find out, knowing he wouldn't like it one bit, but also knowing she wouldn't be able to do it unless it was behind his back. In her mind there was nothing wrong with it, and to be honest she was getting along just fine with the 300 credits she was left with, but she knew that eventually he would notice it, one way or the other.

"C'mon Krystal? Who are you giving all your pay to?"

"You." she replied softly, still looking the other direction.

"W-what? Me? Why?" he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder now and pulling her around to face him.

She couldn't help but smile and shrug, "I don't know, I just know you need it more than we do. Your paycheck is always spent the day you get it on repairs and and supplies, while everyone else keeps theirs for themselves. But I never really go out to eat or buy fancy things like everyone else...I...I'm happy just being on the ship with you. And 300 credits is more than enough to do that right?"

His hands still rested on her shoulders as the words sank in and his mind worked to process all the information before him.

__She's been giving her credits to me all this time...just because she thinks I spend all I get on the ship every time we get paid. That's why she doesn't enjoy a lot of the things Katt and Falco do...she cant afford them.__

"You...You're not mad are you?" she asked, looking at the ground, "Please don't be..."

Not allowing her to finish, he pulled her tight, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder.

"I can't believe you," he mumbled, "I just cant believe...someone as perfect as you really exists."

"F-Fox...

"Yes I'm mad," he continued softly, "I'll never forgive you for doing this to yourself. You deserve so much more than 300 credits...hell you deserve more than 1000 credits." He pulled away just far enough to see her face to face before adding, "How long have you been doing this?"

She met his gaze, ignoring the blush that ran across her own and replied, "Just a couple weeks,"

"Krystal...

"Okay, a few months. But Fox its no big deal I...

Before she could finish the vulpine swept her off her feet and continued down the street carrying the vixen in his arms.

"Fox what are you doing!" she asked, surprise and laughter in her tone.

The vulpine, a look of determination mixed with wistfulness on his face, replied, "I'm going to repay you for what you did for me, any way I know how."

000


	8. Almost

000

"Is there anything else I can get for you? Dessert? Refills?"

He looked over at the vixen who shook her head in response before answering, "I'm fine, thanks."

"Same here," he replied, nodding at the lynx. The waitress clasped her hands together, throwing on her minimum wage smile and declaring she'd return with their check in a few minutes. Once again the two were left alone, if you didn't count the other twenty or so Cornerians who were also grabbing a bite for lunch in the same restaurant.

He had insisted on taking her out to eat after finding out about the vixen's secret transactions, and had only stopped carrying her when they reached the entrance to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Now every time he looked at her she was somehow even more amazing than before. Not only was she beautiful, smart, skilled in fighting, piloting, and reading minds, but she was also the most generous fox he had ever met. To think that all this time she had been giving more than half her pay to him, just to help out the team in these rough times. Not even Falco, his closest friend after all these years, had given part of his check towards the repair and refurnishing of GreatFox, yet Krystal had done so from day one.

__She is so amazing...everything she does, its just perfect. I've got to repay her for what she's done, and this dinner is just step one. Someone like her deserves to be treated like a queen, no...a goddess.__

"I still cant believe you've been doing that all this time," he murmured, half to himself and half to her, "If I've done the math right then I owe you close to 3000 credits."

"You don't __owe __me anything," the vixen replied, forcing a smile as she met the vulpine's gaze from across the table. "I did what I did because I wanted to, not because I was forced to."

He shook his head, "But paying for all of that stuff is __my __duty, not yours. You shouldn't be just giving away what little I already have to offer you."

There was a short silence, filled only with the surrounding chatter of other customers and the sound of spoons and forks clinking off plates. He met her emerald gaze, savoring the feeling that took him over when he allowed himself to get lost in their beauty. She beat Fara hands down, it wasn't even a contest when he thought about it. But it was that one-sided comparison that continued to run the same thought through his mind over and over again, much to his dismay.

__She's too amazing, she's too perfect, too beautiful. There is no way in hell that I could ever end up with her. But Fara...with her...__

He hated thinking about these things, they gave him a sick feeling in his stomach that stuck with him for the rest of the day, and in some cases through the next morning. But when he saw her every single day, at breakfast, in the hallway, in the lounge or hanger, it was easy to understand why she was always on his mind.

"Money isn't everything Fox," she answered, breaking the silence. "Like I said, what would I use it for?"

"That's not the point." he retorted, still somewhat perturbed at her for sacrificing so much for him.

"Then what is?"

His mind wanted him to choose his next words carefully but his heart still had more authority over his mouth and before he could stop himself he went ahead and said what he'd been thinking all along.

"You deserve so much better than this," he answered, pointing at the StarFox insignia on his jacket, "You shouldn't have to live on a beaten up ship, you shouldn't have to ration your food with others or only take showers on certain days because the water can only be purified every 48 hours. You shouldn't have to risk your life every day just to get by and make a living. And most importantly," he added, his tone now softer, "You shouldn't have to give away what little I can afford to give you."

__There I said it. I only hope she realizes how right I am. Hell, if I could I'd give her all of my paycheck just so she could get off that floating hunk of metal for a few weeks.__

By the end of his confession he had turned his head to the side and was subconsciously looking out the window, not sure if he said the right thing or not anymore. Another short silence overtook them and he could only wonder what she was thinking about now, but he continued to look out the window, not wanting to catch her gaze after saying such things.

Finally the moment broke, only it wasn't with anything he expected to hear.

"I'm sorry."

He clinched his fists and turned back towards her, distraught to see the vixen's head resting on her crossed arms on the table. "No! Don't be sorry!" he pleaded, not sure how to fix the mess he'd made now, "I-I didn't mean it __that __way, I just want you to understand...

"Here's your check sweetie,"

Startled by the lynx's sudden appearance, and annoyed by how oblivious she was to what was going on, the vulpine took a deep breath and reached into his back pocket, pulling out his Cornerian Military issued card and handing it to her. She took off once more, leaving the two alone again.

"Fox," she spoke gently, raising her head and resting her paw over his, "I enjoy my life just the way it is. Being with you and my friends on GreatFox its...its the closest thing to a family I've got now, and making me give that up just because you think I deserve something better would be the worst thing anyone could do."

His gaze fell on their paws, the vulpine hesitating for second before clasping his hand around hers. To anyone else it may have just looked like two foxes holding hands, but the electricity that filled the air between them was unbelievable, the simple feeling of her paw intertwined with his own seeming to cause all the vulpine's problems to melt away. He looked up and met her, receiving a smile in return as the vixen stood up and pulled him with her, never letting go.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the waitress making her way back over towards them but he paid her no mind, instead giving the sapphire beauty before him all his attention, standing close and looking down into her emerald gaze.

__Just do it...c'mon, who cares if anyone else sees! She's right here, its perfect, go for it!__

Their mouths were inches apart, each of them seeming to hold back, hoping for the other to make the first move in order to confirm any doubts that still remained. But just as he thought he had summoned up all the courage he would need did the image of another vixen fly into his thoughts, this one brown, with larger ears and a cocky smirk that he had seen all too often.

Instantly he looked away, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and praying that his face wasn't as red as it felt. He felt her paw leave his own, and looked up just in time to catch the disheartened expression on the vixen's face. If he had felt awful before it couldn't compare to how he felt now.

__Why did you stop! You were right there you idiot! That could have been it!__

**_**But what about Fara? If we had kissed just now, what would that mean? How would I act around Fara now? If she found out would she still love me? Of course not!**_**

__Of course she wouldn't, but that wont matter if Krystal does!__

He clinched his fists in confused anger, every fiber in his being screaming at him to grab the sapphire fox by the shoulders, push her up against the window, and show her how much she __really __meant to him. Everyone around them wouldn't matter, and he wouldn't care. Yet before he could do __anything, __the waitress was once again by his side, a suspicious look on her face as she eyed the two foxes standing by their table, each as red as the evening sun and wearing a look that reflected both sadness and disappointment.

"Thanks," he murmured, taking his card and receipt from her and shoving them in his wallet.

Stepping up beside the blue vixen he cleared his throat tried his best not to blush as she looked up at him. "Krystal...I...

"It's okay Fox," she replied softly, forcing a smile that he knew was completely fake, "I understand."

At first he wasn't sure how she could possibly understand but then it hit him, like it had so many times before.

__She saw Fara too...she knows why I looked away.__

"No Krystal...its not what you think...

"It's okay Fox," she repeated, "Let's just forget about it and finish what we came here for."

His heart plummeted as the words left her mouth and he could only clench his fists in frustration and follow behind her as they made their way back outside. From another point of view someone would have assumed the two foxes had just lost their dearest friend as they silently walked down the street, the brown vulpine's tail drooping as he shook his head and followed behind her.

__I screwed up, I had a shot and I blew it. Maybe...maybe its a sign. I thought I might have had a chance with her...but because of Fara...__

**_**You've got no one to blame but yourself you idiot.**_**

000

"Where are you going?"

The blue feathered bird's question was ignored as the fennec fox made her way through the lounge and down into the hanger, an annoyed Katt Monroe following closely behind. The pink feline had done her best to stall Fara, doing everything from questioning her for battle training tips to asking her for stories about her and Fox back when they first met. However Fara wasn't falling for her tricks anymore and even when Katt told her that going to Corneria now would be pointless as Fox and Krystal would be heading back by the time she got there anyways, Fara still insisted on making the journey she had originally invited herself on.

"If I get there in time I can still help them bring back more supplies," she had stated to Peppy, not really pleading her case as much as telling the old hare that she was leaving one way or the other.

After little to no resistance from anyone other than Katt the brown vixen was soon down in the hanger and readying her Arwing for take off. "Why don't you call ahead and see if you can get a hold of Fox first?" Katt asked, still trying to convince her to just remain on the dreadnaught.

Finally Fara had enough and, letting out an annoyed sigh, jumped down from the side of her Arwing and landed in front of Katt.

"Listen," she muttered sternly, "You might as well stop with the distractions and excuses, they aren't going to work."

"Excuse me?"

Fara rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle of amusement, "Do you really think I'm __that__ blind as to what it is you and that blue furred freak are trying to do? Or, here's a better question, did you honestly think that a locked door would be enough to keep me away from him?"

Shocked silence was the pink feline's only answer, allowing Fara to continue, "Pay attention," she said, her muzzle now right in Katt's face, "If by some chance you see that whore before I do you make sure you say these exact words to her, "You have absolutely no chance with Fox, he wants nothing to do with you. He is in love with me, and I'm in love with him. And if you, her, or anyone else tries to ruin that I will stop at nothing to ruin __you__."

The shocked expression on Katt's face was still the only response Fara received, yet it was enough to cause the fennec fox to smirk in pleasure as she jumped into her Arwing and prepared to take off.

"Katt, clear the floor!" Slippy shouted from the balcony, "Unless you want to catch a cold!" he finished, laughing hysterically at his own crude joke.

The pink feline shook her head and slowly made her way back across the hanger until she was back up on the bridge, watching as the hanger doors slid open and Fara took off for Corneria. Her mind was still trying to figure out what had just happened. Sure she knew there was some static between both her and Fara, and Fara and Krystal, and she knew that both of them had a thing for Fox. But now, after what Fara had said she wasn't so sure that it wasn't something so much more.

__Fara is obsessed with Fox...so much so that who knows what she'd do to get him. And Krystal, she loves him too, but unless she's managed to get that out into the open then things are going to get bad...really bad.__

"You okay?" Slippy asked, making his way back towards the lounge. "You look pale."

"Yeah I'm fine," she retorted, still looking out through the pane of glass into space.

Slippy shrugged and continued on his way, leaving Katt to think things over. Part of her hoped that Krystal and Fox's afternoon alone had been enough time and motivation for them both to admit their feelings for each other, but another part of her hoped she was wrong. She felt awful for thinking that but after hearing all that Fara had just threatened them with she couldn't help but fear for her blue friend's safety now.

__If the two of them __are__together now by some chance, and Fara runs into them before they leave, then who knows what she'll do.__

Katt was still mainly annoyed with herself for allowing Fara to say all of that, to threaten both her and her friend without saying something in return. But it had caught her so off guard that the pink cat could only do her best to process what was being said, not sure if she was imagining this dark, twisted, obsessed side of Fara or if it was in fact real. And it was.

"We've got a big problem now," she murmured to herself.

And on Corneria, had Krystal been able to hear her, the vixen would have definitely agreed.

000


	9. Intervention?

000

"So how did it go?"

The blue furred vixen sighed and leaned her head back against the seat of her Arwing, not having the slightest clue how to answer Katt's question. Most of her felt that it went awful, that it was a complete and utter failure. It seemed that no matter how close she managed to get to the vulpine there was always something, or in this case someone, who got in the way. Up until that moment everything had been going great. Fox finding out about her giving him part of her pay ended up being a good thing, it had played into her hand after she had given it some thought. But the end result, the dinner and conversation that followed, it all had ended in the worst possible way.

__He's stuck on Fara not me...I should have known all along, how could I have been so blind? I can read minds for god sake.__

"That bad?" Katt asked, a disappointed look obvious on her face even through the small communicator's screen in the cockpit of her Arwing.

They had finished gathering 'supplies' if you could call them that. At this point she just assumed he was scouting for anything Fara would like, anything to make her stay more comfortable. The whole time they had shopped she had been picking his mind, desperate to figure out if there might be another reason why he had looked away other than because of Fara. But the only thing she got from probing his thoughts was darkness and pain, an emotion she could relate to all to easily at the moment.

Once or twice he had began to talk to her, struggling to find the right words only to bite his lip and look away. She could only look at the ground and continue following behind. She hated this. Sure, before all of this had started Fox had been shy and nervous around her, but now the reason for it was completely different. He didn't __want __to talk to her. He was too scared of risking his chances with Fara to admit how he really felt.

__You don't know that...you don't __know __he's still in love with Fara. You don't know that he was EVER in love with Fara!__

Those thoughts and similar ones had been fighting back and forth in her mind for the last couple of hours until the two silently made their way back to the airport. She had helped him pack it all into their Arwing's before climbing inside her own, nodding at the vulpine after he awkwardly told her he was going to talk to the flight director for a second about an old friend of his...Bill or someone. It didn't matter, nothing really did now. Within the next hour or so they would be back on the ship and he would be back with Fara and all would be well.

__I tried, I really did. I gave it my best shot. I love him and I want him to be happy, and if that means being with Fara then so be it.__

It seemed that every time she replayed that scene in her mind, watching Fox look away from her, a look of guilt on his face as the image of Fara burned hot on his mind, she died a little more inside. She felt sick to her stomach. She had hoped that Fara was just being arrogant and cocky, that Fox couldn't really have feelings for someone such as her, and that she actually had a chance with the vulpine she was so madly in love with. But every time she thought about him now all she could picture was his well-toned body, his powerful and loving arms wrapped around that brown fennec fox and not her.

__What was I thinking? Cerenian's are known freaks to the rest of the universe, even if he did love me he wouldn't want to be seen in public with me.__

And so, with all these pessimistic thoughts running rampant through her mind, the sapphire vixen had quietly stuck by his side for the rest of their journey through the crowded streets. For the most part they avoided speaking at all and she noticed that he couldn't bring himself to look anywhere close to her direction. So it had been that way until they finished getting what they came for...or at least he did, and made their way back to the airport.

"This whole thing was a horrible idea," she finally managed to mutter, trying not to sound as heartbroken as she felt. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Katt frowned, letting out a sigh of her own before responding, "You want to talk about it?"

"Later."

A brief moment of silence filled the dimly lit cockpit and the vixen couldn't help but feel grateful for its quiet peacefulness. Usually when she felt this bad she would hide away somewhere she could find solitude and meditate to get a grip on things, but this was just too much for her. How could she possibly ever feel at peace when the only guy she ever loved didn't feel the same way about her?

"Well..." Katt said regretfully, "I don't know if this will matter since it looks like you're fixing to leave but I guess I might as well tell you...

"She's on her way?" the vixen asked, still looking out the side of the canopy at the orange sunset sky. "Let her come."

"Krystal, what...what happened?" her friend asked caringly, "What went wrong?"

__Everything. Everything and nothing. If he never loved me then nothing went wrong, because I never had a chance. But for some reason I thought he did...__

"Nothing," she answered, finally looking back at Katt, "We got what we came for and we're on our way back."

The pink feline knew this was the vixen's way of telling her she didn't want to talk about it now, and she didn't press the topic any further, though it was hard not to considering the whole reason they went through all of this was just so they could get the two foxes together one last afternoon during Fara's stay.

"Oh...okay then," she replied, "Well, I'll see you then."

Instantly Krystal regretted her cold tone with her friend, knowing that she was only looking out for her. She started to reply, wanting to apologize for it, but before she could the screen went black and she was left alone, now with an even worse feeling in her stomach. __After Fara takes Fox away from me, or they force me to leave, Katt will be the only friend I have left. But the way I just treated her I cant blame her if she refuses to talk to me at all.__

The pessimistic thoughts seemed to flood the sapphire vixen's head now, but she merely leaned back and waited for the vulpine to reappear, allowing her world to continue crashing down around her. So badly she wanted to feel the touch of his lips against her own, their fur rubbing against the others as they held on to each other for dear life. But every time she pictured that dream come true in her mind she found that she had been replaced by another vixen, one she felt nothing but hate and envy for.

The crackle of static over her headset brought her back to the cockpit and she turned just in time to see the canopy of his Arwing fall shut.

"I guess that's everything," he said softly, "We can exit the hanger for the runway after the next flight takes off."

"Great," she murmured.

Another awkward silence ensued as they both waited off to the side of the massive runway. She could tell he wanted to say something but was holding back every time he thought he had the right words planned out. At this point she couldn't help but feel annoyed with him. Sure she loved him more than life itself, and she'd easily give up whatever she had to in order to be with him, but it was Fara he wanted right? If that was the case, if he didn't feel anything for her as shown earlier at the restaurant, then why was he still so damn nervous around her?

"Just say whatever it is you need to say," she muttered, her tone dull and hurt.

She could practically hear the vulpine stiffen at her words but she didn't falter. She wasn't sure what it was doing this, maybe the fact that she was sure he chose Fara over her, or the fact that she had failed in winning him over, or maybe just the fact that she was tired of trying, but whatever it was it caused her to feel an emotion towards Fox that she had never felt before.

Anger.

"About earlier," he started, struggling to decipher what his heart and mind were telling him to say, "At the restaurant...the...the reason why I looked away was because...

"I know why you looked away," she answered, the stern tone in her voice now harboring sadness that caused him to pin his ears down. "But do you really think it bothers me?"

__Because it does! You're just too stupid to realize it! You're too stupid to realize how I really feel about you. How can you not see it? How can you not see how much I love you?__

000

The words struck him like a slap to the face, except a slap to the face wouldn't have hurt nowhere near as bad. He slowly leaned back against the seat and tried to piece it all together.

__I was so scared that I had messed up, that she wouldn't forgive me for picturing Fara back there, but it turns out it didn't bother her at all. That means...__

He couldn't bring his mind to accept the 'so called' truth, even though it had been the biggest fear in the back of his head ever since he had first met her. After doing that to her, turning away at the last second and screwing up so horribly, he had felt awful. But the pit in his stomach that he had felt then was nothing at all compared to what he was experiencing now. The small area inside of his canopy suddenly seemed to deprive him of the oxygen he so desperately needed and he wasted no time in throwing it open and jumping to the ground, falling to one knee and breathing heavily.

"_**_**Do you really think it bothers me?"**_**_

"_**_**Do you REALLY think it bothers me?"**_**_

The vulpine gritted his teeth and did his best to keep from vomiting up the absolutely awful feeling that had formed in the pit of his stomach. Often times he had wondered what it would feel like if he found out she didn't love him and now he knew. He couldn't compare it to anything less than agonizing, gut wrenching pain that not even the strongest warrior in the universe could experience without falling to his knees.

__So I was right all along...I never had a chance with her. I was so naive.__

He stood up and looked out toward the runway, now trying to decide if Fara was worth it after all. At first he thought his biggest fear had been having no one, being left alone without anyone to spend the rest of his life with. And he had wanted Krystal to fill that hole, the sapphire beauty having been the perfect round peg. But now he knew that his only chance of that fear being killed off was if Fara still loved him. He never really did love Fara like he did Krystal, but what choice did he have now?

**_**Do you really think it bothers me?**_**

The words continued to play over and over in his mind and every time it felt as if his heart were being ripped out of his chest and stomped on.

__I don't know why I'm so surprised, how in the world could someone like her have ever ended up with me?__

He looked back up at the vixen's canopy, his heart aching as he imagined her immense beauty resting behind its tinted glass. His whole heart and mind wanted to just break down and let it all out right then and there, but he didn't. It didn't matter that she was his world, not if she didn't feel the same way towards him. All he could do was try to save their friendship and focus on Fara, at least she still seemed interested in him. Yet he knew that if that ended up being the case he couldn't keep Krystal around. There was no way he could take Fara as his mate and at the same time continue to be teammates with the sapphire fox.

It seemed like his whole world was falling apart...and maybe that was because she __was __his whole world. There was still a part of him that was trying be rational though, that told him she never 'said' she didn't love him, that she never 'said' no to anything.

__But she might has well have.__

The sound of a jet engine firing up somehow phased the vulpine and brought his attention back to the real world, which suddenly seemed much, much colder. The flight that was to take off before them was beginning to circle around the half track in order to line up straight for take off. For the first few seconds he ignored it, still numbed by what the vixen had told him and trying to figure out how he could continue now that he had lost her.

But another, extremely similar yet higher pitched sound caught his attention yet again. He stepped out of the hanger a few more feet, turning around and opening his eyes in surprise as a massive commercial jet came soaring down the runway at a speed far too high to ensure a safe landing. He heard vixen's canopy fly open behind him as she rushed out of the hanger beside him, the two emotionally destroyed foxes somehow managing to forget about each other for this one moment as they watched the scene play out before them.

The jet that had came soaring in for landing had one of its turbines on fire and was hardly level enough to hit the runway at such an angle to where the landing gear would support the planes weight equally. In addition the other jet had just gotten the alert to stop and already had its left wing over half of the runway.

Fox didn't have to watch to know what was going to happen next, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away and looked on in surprise as the wounded jet sloppily fell to the runway, the landing gear supporting the first bounce or two before snapping in half due to the impossible combination of speed and tilt on the plan. Waves of sparks accompanied by flames and smoke flew out from the sides of the jet as the underbelly now took the responsibility of slowing it.

If there was one upside that he could see so far it was that the body of the plane sliding across the runway, rather than the landing gear, was slowing it significantly faster than normal. This might have been enough to keep the jet on the runway and not outside the airport into pedestrian filled streets. It was not, however, going slow enough and they both watched in concern as the crippled airliner tore through its waiting counterparts wing like a knife through butter.

There were only a few seconds more of the bone chilling screech of metal being torn apart until everything fell silent, leaving the two foxes with their front row seat, in tact and amazed. The scent of burnt rubber mixed with smoke and fire instantly overtook them and in the distance they could hear sirens wailing in nearly every direction as help was called in from the numerous fire and rescue departments.

All of this, the 'almost' kiss, what she said about it, the plane crash...it all felt like a dream, too unreal and horrible to be real life. He wanted so badly to wake up in his bed now, the day before he had known Fara was coming and when he still thought he had a chance with the beautiful vixen that he loved so god damn much that it hurt.

But this wasn't a dream, the pain in his chest reminded him that it was all too real, and with that reality came consequences he had to suffer. With a look that one could call both exhaustion and depression the vulpine met her gaze, wanting to say and do so much to fix everything that he had done but instead only being able to softly mutter the only thing he knew to be the truth.

"Guess we're not going home tonight."

And with that he took off in a jog towards the smoldering wreckage, an equally confused and burdened vixen taking off after him.

000


	10. Misconceptions

000

"I'm standing outside the Cornerian International Airport in front of what officials are calling the freak accident of the year after a commercial jet carrying 158 passengers caught a rogue weather balloon in one of its turbines. Now while officials are still unclear as to how the weather balloon made its way over protected airspace they are sure of one thing and that is that it could have definitely been much worse."

The screen cut away from the eagle, now showing a video that someone on the street had recorded as the massive jet awkwardly landed on the runway before bursting into a scene of sparks and flames as it slowed.

"Now as you can see the landing was bad enough as the pilot was unable to use the landing gear correctly, but this actually isn't the worst part. As you continue to watch you'll notice another jet coming into view on the left side of your screen. This was another flight scheduled to take off at the same time this jet had to make its unexpected landing."

The screen showed the two jets colliding at an awkward angle, the already crippled plane tearing a slice down its waiting counterparts side before finally ripping the wing off and jerking to a stop.

"It is unfortunate that the warning could not be relayed quick enough to the pilot of the waiting flight, and it is because of this that I regret to inform you that there were fatalities. It has been two hours since this incident occurred and in that time there have been three confirmed deaths, six more in critical condition currently in St. York hospital, and over 80 others injured as emergency workers continue clearing out the wreckage. And I've just been told that all flights, coming or going, have been canceled for the next 48 hours."

"Just awful," came a different voice as the screen flashed back to the newsroom, resting on a clean cut and well groomed duck, "Our prayers go out to all those involved and their families, thank you for the update Ron, we'll rejoin you at the end of the hour,"

"Thanks Dan,"

"Well...in other news...

The vixen muted the television and fell back on the bed, not sure what to make out of all this. She was stuck with him for another 48 hours, a situation she would have killed to have been in only just that morning. But so much had changed since then, so much had seemed to have went wrong. Not at first, but that was how it ended. Everything had been going great up until they finished their meal, even Fox finding out about all the credits she had been giving him.

__That turned out to be a blessing in disguise...or so I thought.__

But now, now it was just this never ending feeling of tension between them and she knew all too well what was causing it. She had saw it the moment he looked away from her, preventing the kiss that they both had been waiting on all this time. The image of Fara that stopped him from going through with it. What he didn't know was how much it had hurt her. Everything had somehow seemed to work in her favor, despite all the odds. And just when she thought they were finally going to end their relationship as 'friends' and move onto something far greater, he had looked away.

What hurt her the most was that Fara wasn't even there to cause it. It was his decision to hold back and that had told the vixen enough. It told her what she hadn't wanted to admit to.

He chose Fara.

How she managed to hold it together was a mystery. Being able to stay by his side after something like that for the next few hours, knowing that the fox she loved more than live itself apparently had feelings for another vixen, it was like torture. Yet as they continued getting supplies, in that awkward silence that stayed between them, the vixen found her thoughts shifting more and more. Sure she was devastated, she was hurt and felt worse than she could've ever imagined, but at the same time she began to feel more and more angry towards him, towards Fara, and towards herself.

__What did I do wrong? Where did I screw up? What in the hell is it about Fara that he loves so much? I'd do whatever it takes, I'd be whatever he wanted me to be, just to have him.__

Then, while waiting to take off, she finally let her anger slip out.

"_**_**Do you really think it bothers me?"**_**_

She knew it had hurt him, but her anger kept her from reason, telling her that the vulpine had no excuse to feel sick over what she had said since he apparently had no feelings for her.

Thoughts like these continued to play over and over in her mind as she looked up at the tiled ceiling in their hotel room, wanting to get lost in the white void it presented so she could escape all this confusion and drama and just live in her own perfect world. A world without Fara Phoenix. A world that only had two inhabitants, one of which was a perfect, well-toned, loving, brave, heroic vulpine, accompanied by his sapphire mate who would never have to leave his arms again.

She narrowed her gaze at the ceiling, bringing her thoughts back down to earth as she felt an all too familiar presence draw closer and closer from down the hall. After helping the officials for a good hour or so, before being told to leave unless they were hurt, the two had resumed their tension filled evening once again. She followed him back to their Arwings where he messaged Peppy and told him they'd be back in two days, explaining what had happened and urging him to turn the television to the news.

She couldn't help but feel some sense of satisfaction though, knowing that Fara was somewhere above them throwing a fit because the airport officials wouldn't allow her to land. Of course she could still land at the International Airport in Terria, but that port was across the sea that hugged the side of Cornerian City, even if she __did __take the detour it would take forever. Hundreds upon hundreds of flights were being rescheduled now and one didn't realize the vital role that the airport in Cornerian City played until it was out of commission.

But while she was somewhat amused with Fara's attempt to join them failing, she still couldn't help but think that it wouldn't matter.__If she was here she could run off with Fox, then at least one of us would be happy.__

Afterward the two headed back to the strip, still not saying hardly anything to each other as he led them to a decent looking hotel that she assumed he had stayed at before.

"I uh, I've only got enough credits for one room if we stay two nights," he muttered, looking at the ground.

"Fine,"

000

Her stern tone hit him like a punch to the face and he only sighed before turning back to the secretary and purchasing their stay. In his mind he knew he deserved this. He couldn't help but think that maybe he was wrong all along, that maybe she really did love him. If that was the case then earlier back at the restaurant, what he did, it had to have hurt her. So badly he wanted to make everything right, but no matter what he thought of, no matter what idea he managed to scrounge up, all of them ended with Fara...

The door opened and the vulpine stepped in, instantly looking over at the vixen who was lying on her side, facing away from him on the rooms only bed. He sighed and put the room card key back into his wallet, walking over to the bed and sitting on the corner.

For the next few moments he pretended to watch tv, which was more awkward than he could have ever imagined considering it was muted. But even had the news been audible he wouldn't have heard it, his mind, much like hers, continuing to replay everything that had went wrong that day between the two of them.

__I should have just done it. I'd rather have kissed her and known, than not and never know. But...but if I did...how would I explain it to Fara?__

He clenched his fists, frustrated at all the problems that were laid out before him. At first he thought that Fara's visit was going to be a blessing, that the fennec fox would be the fun, joking vixen that he once knew, and that their relationship from the past would only be a memory. But upon her arrival it had been the exact opposite. As soon as she arrived, the second he met her gaze he recognized that look in her eyes, the same one she used to have before she left him.

It all went down hill from there.

__I don't know what to do. I thought that maybe I had a chance with Krystal, but after what she said...maybe Fara is the only choice I have left.__

"I'm sorry," he muttered out loud, immediately tensing up as he realized what he had said.

For a moment there was nothing but that still silence that he had grown to hate, and he was worried that she wouldn't respond to him, but finally she lifted herself up into a sitting position, now facing the window behind him.

"For what?" she asked, still harboring that unemotional tone that masked her pain.

__For not telling you how I really feel. For looking away when I should have just gave in. For hurting you.__

He wanted to say all of those things and more, to keep going and admit everything to the sapphire beauty that he had been keeping locked inside him since day one. But when he opened his mouth none of that came out and he found himself saying the wrong words yet again.

"For Fara."

The sapphire fox scoffed and stood up, turning and facing him, meeting his gaze for the first time in a while and refusing to look away. "That's what your sorry for?" she asked, her eyes expressing such hurt and pain that the vulpine had to grit his teeth to hold their gaze.

"Y-Yeah...I'm sorry that...I'm sorry she's back..." he stuttered, not sure how to put into words all the emotions that his heart was trying to express, "I know you don't like her..."

"Just stop." She turned away from him again, crossing her arms and staring out the window down into the street below.

"Krystal I..." he stood, stepping towards her, wanting to pull her into his arms and hold her until he found the right words.

"No. I don't want to hear it." she interrupted him, stepping away, "Look, in two days we'll head back to GreatFox and reunite with the team. You'll be back with Fara and you two can do whatever you want, its none of my business."

She paused for another few seconds before adding, "And I'll stay out of the way."

She now turned back around to face him, the two catching the others gaze for only a second before she stepped by him and into the bathroom, the sound of water running from the sink instantly filling the empty room. The vulpine remained standing, taking into thought all that she had just told him.

__But...I don't want Fara...I want you.__

The look that had been in her eyes for that split second took his breath away, and he hated seeing such a beautiful face lined with tears, knowing that he was the reason for them. Slowly he made his way over to the bathroom door, resting his forehead against it and placing a paw on the handle. He pressed down, knowing that it was locked but trying anyways. But even if he had managed to get in there he had no idea what he would've said to her.

__I probably would have just made things worse.__

He turned back around, facing the bed. His eyes rested on the nightstand where he had left his wallet which was home to 50 credits at the most. He grabbed it and slipped it in his back pocket, pausing and taking a deep shaky breath before making his way back to the entrance of the room.

__I've fucked everything up now.__

He wasn't sure what was going to happen within the next two days, but for now he could only focus on the memories from earlier, and those were memories that he wanted so badly to forget. But unless some freak case of amnesia overtook him and only made him forget the last 24 hours he knew he was stuck with only one other option, an option that Falco had turned to far more often than him.

A bellhop was passing by with a cart full of suitcases as he closed the door behind him and Fox only just managed to grab his shoulder before he got by him.

"Can I help you sir?" he asked.

"Where's the nearest bar?" the vulpine asked coldly, his heart and mind now only focused on easing the pain that he had so stupidly brought upon himself.

The bellhop gave him directions and continued on his way, leaving him alone in the long hallway. He placed his ear against the door to their room, listening for any sound of the vixen but still getting nothing but the sound of running water from the bathroom sink in return.

__She'll never know I left...I guess I deserve that too.__

000

She reached forward and turned the handle down, the water slowing to a trickle, then drops, before finally ceasing altogether as it ran down the drain of the bathroom sink. Why she had turned it on in the first place the vixen wasn't sure. She hadn't wanted him to hear her cry, but she knew he had seen the tears. But it was a silent pain that overtook her and the entire time she was in there, sitting on the side of the tub, the tears were accompanied by no sobs, only quietly running down her blue furred face and landing in the porcelain oval.

She had sensed him leaving but she didn't bother probing his thoughts anymore. If she had to give it her best guess she would've said he was going to contact Fara somehow and tell her they were all right and that he'd be back as soon as possible to pamper her like the princess that he thought she was. She wanted to tell herself she didn't care, that it made no difference to her what he did, but that was impossible. She knew all too well how much it hurt being away from him, especially now.

She opened the door to the bathroom and stepped out into the very short little hallway that led to the door. She could still smell his scent all over the place and couldn't help but take a deep whiff of it, knowing it was the most delectable smell she'd ever had the pleasure of breathing in. Reaching up and wiping a tear from her cheek the vixen made her way back over to the window that overlooked the massive city, wondering if there might be someone just like Fox out there for her to find...but knowing it wouldn't ever be the same.

For a few minutes more she waited there, not sure what to do other than search her heart and mind for some way to fix all of this and somehow still end up in the vulpine's arms. But try as she might, no matter how far she stretched her imagination while keeping reality in focus, she couldn't ever see an ending that resulted in the two of them together. Not after all of this. Besides, Fara would sooner kill her than lose Fox so she'd be dead anyways.

She almost smiled at the thought, not sure if it was true or not. The vixen knew she'd be willing to do anything for Fox, and figured Fara was the same way, only a bit crazier and obsessed. __Maybe that's why he likes her...maybe that's how I need to be.__

__No, I refuse to stoop to her level any further. We tried it your way Katt, and I got my answer. If he doesn't like me the way I am then that's no ones fault but his own.__

She sighed and looked over to her left at the bag in the floor that contained the clothes she had bought earlier, before everything went to hell. Without thinking she slid off her flight suit and pulled on the shorts, tight t-shirt, and flip flops. She didn't know what she was going to do but she certainly wasn't going to stay cooped up in that room for the rest of the night. She was on Corneria, the most advanced planet in the Lylat System. Regardless of whether or not she was with Fox she wanted to at least look around and see the city for what it was worth.

__Who knows, maybe I'll find something to take my mind off all of this.__

She knew she wasn't nowhere near over the trauma the day had dealt her, but she continued to play along with the optimistic feeling that her mind presented. She knew Fox was torn up and distressed, and her heart ached for him because of it, but she also knew who he had chosen and who he'd have his arms around once they got back to GreatFox. With that thought fresh in her mind she let the jealous anger rekindle her tougher side as she headed for the door, glancing once in the mirror to make sure she looked as amazing as she had before.

__You got Fara. That was the best you could do? Someone as perfect as you could've gotten Ms. Galaxy as his date. But instead its Fara. I can do better than that...anyone can do better than that...__

And with one last flick of her tail the vixen left the room, not knowing where she was going, only looking for an outlet that could take her aches and pains from the day and make them all disappear.

000


	11. Liquid Courage

000

"Denied? What do you mean denied?"

"As in, you can not land here. The entire airport is out of commission for the next few days."

The brown vixen closed her eyes and clenched her fists, fighting back the anger that had been simmering inside of her ever since she had been left behind by Fox. Of course she wasn't angry at him, she knew he had nothing to do with it. It was Krystal she was directing her anger towards, and her pink feline friend to some extent. Both of them had it in for her, thinking that simply by getting her out of the picture for a few hours that it would be long enough to change his mind, to choose someone else.

__He loves me though, he always has. Its not like that blue freak has a chance, but I'd like to be there to watch her crash and burn, and it serves her right for trying to steal him from me.__

But now, as she pointlessly argued with the head of flight control down at the airport, she realized that the vixen might have more than just a few hours with him after all, and that would not work. One way or another she was going to get to them, she would find him and prove once and for all to Krystal, and the rest of the Lylat system, that Fox McCloud was hers and hers alone.

__He is mine. Whatever you try to pull will only show him how pathetic and desperate you are, so go ahead, do your worst. I know Fox loves me and I trust him more than you ever could. Within the next 24 hours I'll find you and enjoy the look of failure on your face when you finally realize you never had a chance. You're way out of your league Cerenian.__

"Fine," she shot back, her voice hovering between calm and annoyed, "But you know as well as I do who my father is. I want permission to land at Terria within the next hour or the Cornerian International Airport will be getting themselves a new flight director. Understand?"

There was a period of silence, the flight director most likely wondering what he did to deserve this before finally replying with an exhausted sigh.

"Okay. There's an overlay of 10 minutes between two flights, one leaving for Titan at 8:30 and one coming in from Lunas at 8:40. If you can be outside of Terria at least 30 miles by the hour's half then I can probably get them to let you land."

A smirk crossed the fennec fox's expression as she saw the pieces continue to fall into place. "Perfect," she replied, "See, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

A growl began to come across as the response but she shut off the transmission and set a course for Terria. Now things were beginning to go as expected, and she could only imagine how perfect it all would be within the next 24 hours. Fox holding her, and Katt holding Krystal, gently comforting her as she tried to cope with the fact that the vulpine had never loved her at all.

What Fara didn't know was that things had already taken a turn for the worse without her physical intrusion being made, and the consequences were all but devastating.

000

The first three or four did the exact opposite of their intended purpose. Instead of putting out the fire that burned at his insides it was almost as if they enraged it, the alcohol being a fuel that increased the pain and despair nestled inside of him.

__She hates me now. We're not even friends anymore, that's how much I fucked things up.__

He took a final sip out of the bottle before sliding it to the left where it accompanied its other 3 empty counterparts along the bar. He had never been much of a drinker, having only intentionally gotten drunk once before after finding out his father was dead. The pain then was great, but somehow he had taken it much better than he was now. Losing his father was awful and it had stayed with him for weeks, but for some reason, maybe the fact that he was a war hero or that he died fighting, Fox could accept his father's death. He lost him, but got over it in time.

But losing Krystal was a wound that time could never, ever heal.

His hand rested on the bar, extended and open, an invitation that was soon answered by the barkeep who slid another bottle into his grasp. Without missing a beat the rim met his lips and the strong taste ran down his throat, slowly yet surely numbing his thoughts from all that he had screwed up. But it wasn't his thoughts that he wanted to numb, it was his heart. He had been at the bar for two hours now, not drinking anything for the longest time, merely sitting alone, thinking about ways to fix this mess. But finally the pain became too much and alcohol seemed like the only haven he could think of.

__I don't know what to do anymore. I screwed everything up with Krystal, not that I ever had a chance in the first place, but at least then...at least then the possibility existed. But now, what do I do?__

He pictured Fara in his mind once again, but the feelings that he had once felt towards the brown vixen were completely forgotten. He tried to pretend that he still felt something for her, but after all that had happened with Krystal, after realizing how much she meant to him, he knew that it had been the sapphire beauty all along.

__There never was a decision. Fara was never in the running, she was just in the background messing everything up.__

He figured that now, after all that had happened Fara would be the only choice he had left. But the more he thought about being with her, or anyone else for that matter, the more sick he felt to his stomach.

__Krystal was the only one I wanted. She's the only one I could have ever been happy with.__

He raised the bottle again to take another sip, narrowing his eyes in confusion as it continued to rise further and further upward without emitting any of its numbing nectar.

"It's empty bro,"

He lowered the bottle and turned to his left to meet his, apparently far more sober, bar partner. It turned out to be a cougar with a solid chestnut coat much like the vulpine's. He looked no more than 21, dressed like every other teenager in the world who was of drinking and partying age; cargo shorts, Nike's, white tanktop with a Letterman jacket thrown over it, gold chain across his neck, a white hat with a flat bill turned back to the side with a pair of sunglasses resting on top.

"Too bad," the vulpine answered normally, showing no trace of alcohol in his system as he sat the bottle beside the others, "I was really attached to that one."

"Hah, man your funny. Is that the beer talking or do you do standup or somethin?"

Had he been sober Fox would have gotten a better read on the cat and chosen his words more carefully, but after all that had went down, after all that he had messed up, most of his brain just told him to go along with whatever the hell came his way. Anything to forget about Krystal.

"Why? You want to hear a joke?" he asked, shooting the cat an annoyed look. The puma couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years younger than him, yet it felt like he was putting up with a frat boy, when really he wanted to be left alone.

"Oh hey man, I didn't mean anything by it," he replied, turning back towards the bar and taking a sip from his own bottle, "It's just, you look like you've just lost your entire family or something ya know? I figured maybe some conversating might make you feel a bit better."

Despite the fact that the cat invented a new word in that last sentence the vulpine couldn't help but appreciate his depiction of his problem. It __did __feel like he had lost his entire family, it felt like he had lost his entire world, because that's what she was to him.

"Sorry," Fox muttered, looking over at the cougar, "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

A relieved grin crossed the cat's face and he nodded in understanding before extending a paw towards the vulpine. "Its cool, I understand. Name's Walker."

Fox returned the handshake and muttered his own name before turning back and raising a finger as the barkeep walked by, a returning nod from the hound confirming the vulpine's order for another pain reliever.

"So, let me guess..." the cat started, looking closely at the label on his bottle, "Girl problem?"

The vulpine stiffened for a brief second before brushing it off and taking another large sip from his bottle. He was 7 bottles in and well past his sober limit of 3, but even now he couldn't forget about her, and talking about it wouldn't help at all. But for some reason he didn't shy away from Walker's question, instead he went along with it.

"Yeah," he answered, knowing more questions would arise.

"Been there bro, been there. She leave you or what?"

A few moments passed and the vulpine thought about the question, doing his best to find a decent answer somewhere in his intoxicated thoughts that wouldn't make him look like a complete wuss. Yet no matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he fought against the alcohol in his system, he couldn't deny the one obvious fact, one that he would never forgive himself for.

"I never had her to begin with, and..." he added, more softly, "I never will."

A chuckle came from the cat and Fox looked up at him, not sure if he should be annoyed or depressed ever further. "Not with that attitude you wont," came the reply, "Did you even __try __to get her or are you just assuming?"

The vulpine was surprised at the maturity of the cat's question and he couldn't help but wonder if it was from his own experiences or simply the alcohol that was asking it. But either way, he still wasn't sure how to respond. He knew the scene at the restaurant was probably the closest he had ever gotten to her before, and even then he had failed miserably, starting the landslide of heartache and pain that continued to suffocate him even now.

__Did I ever really try? I mean, I know I assumed, but did I ever really make a move? Of course not, I was too scared of her rejecting me, and that's what ended up happening.__

**_**NO. You rejected her! This is YOUR fault you idiot.**_**

"I'm not sure," he finally replied, his thoughts filled with alcohol and emotion.

"You're not sure?" he asked, cracking a grin and placing his hand on the vulpine's shoulder, "Listen bro, you've got to at least try. You only live once ya know? Whats the worst that could happen?"

"She says no."

"And?"

Fox narrowed his gaze at the cat, not sure what to make of his overly optimistic attitude towards his currently spiraling life. Part of him hated how easily Walker saw this as, not knowing how much it hurt to find out the answer to something was the one you had been afraid to hear. But another part of him admired that same attitude and accepted his logic. He __did __only live once, which meant he only had one life to spend with her. If this was the case then he __had__to try.

__It's not like she ever said no? Sure she said a few things, but she never said 'no' right? She just thinks I'm in love with Fara, she doesn't know I really love her. Maybe...maybe I should give it a shot.__

"Well, she kind of already said no," he answered, hoping for another reassuring statement from the cat.

"Kinda?" Walker asked, taking another sip of his beer, "That's no answer. Are you really content to live the rest of your life without her based on the statement, 'kinda'?"

Fox sighed and shook his head, instantly regretting the decision as the alcohol reminded him of its side effects and almost threw him off his bar stool. Walker steadied his grip on the vulpine's shoulder and held him in place, the effects of beer also evident in the cougar's gaze and telling him that the cat had been there longer than he had thought.

But despite his impairment he kept his cool. Unlike Falco who got loud and rowdy when drunk, Fox stayed quiet and secluded in his thoughts, or in this case to Walker.

"I guess not." he answered, finishing yet another bottle off.

Walker snorted in discontent, "Man you need to shake this 'Kinda' and 'I guess' attitude if you ever plan to make things right." The cat motioned the bartender over before adding, "Get me and my friend here something to give him a little confidence and me a little reassurance."

The hound merely shrugged and began mixing the two drinks, clearly not the stereotypical bartender that talked to his patrons about their problems and offered advice in return.

"Listen Walker...I..."

"Trust me bro," the cat interrupted him, taking the two glasses from the barkeep and handing Fox one, "If you ever want to make things right you need to ignore your doubt, that's the alcohols job, and just do what needs to be done."

He finished by clinging their shots together and, after making sure the vulpine was drinking his, consumed his own, pounding his fist on the bar-stand in shock at the taste.

"And that, my friend, is your job."

000

"So much for a night out on the town."

The amazing view before her was one that she would never forget, yet the memories that came with it would only make the pain that resided in her all the more permanent. The sun had finally sank below the horizon, which in this case was the Varpine Sea which rested in between Cornerian City and Terria, and with it had taken the natural sunlight that guided her way. Now the bright city lights overtook everything and from where the vixen was on the roof of their hotel she could look across the entire town.

Other than walking down the crowded streets and entering a few stores she had done nothing of any importance. She hated to admit that most of the time her mind was on the look out for the vulpine's all too familiar presence. But even as she made her way back to the airport she picked up no signs of him, not that she would've had anything to say had they met.

It was while she was walking down the crowded street that she met a group of vixens, not much younger than herself, coming her way, and for the first time she realized just how alone she was. Without Katt there she had no one to talk to, and with Fox giving himself to Fara she had basically lost all the friends she had ever made. Sure there was Peppy, Slippy, and Falco, but she didn't feel anything for them like she did Fox, and she certainly couldn't speak to them like she did Katt.

She sighed and turned back towards the doorway that went back down into the hotel, half hoping that Fox was, and wasn't, in the room.

__I don't know what to do. I hate acting so emotionless in front of him. I hate having to hide how much I'm hurt, but what choice do I have?__

By the time she had made her way back to their room she had decided that she would do nothing. She would let him make the first move, let him say the first words. As far as she was concerned she had nothing to say to him, at least not anything that would work.

__God...when we get back to the ship...when he's back around Fara...I wont be able to stand that. I know I cant put up with it, and so does she, and she'll make sure she rubs it in my face.__

Just imagining the smug look on her face as she clung to Fox like her personal trophy made her tear up and clench her fists in anger. She slammed the door behind her and made her way over to the bed, standing beside it and continuing to run the simulations through her head. She couldn't stop herself and it drove her crazy, imagining Fox and Fara together rather than Fox and herself. But what could she do? Whatever happened between the sapphire fox and the vulpine within the next two days, would any of it be enough to change things?

Part of her wanted to believe that the airport had been shut down for a reason, as if it were a sign telling her that fate was giving them another 48 hours to get things right before it was too late. But the same question continued to run through her mind over and over, and she kept giving herself the same disappointing answer.

__How can we fix this?__

**_**We cant.**_**

Instinctively she turned towards the bathroom, shedding her clothes in the floor and stepping inside the shower after the water became warm enough. This only reminded her of her shower on GreatFox those few days ago, before Fara's visit was unknown to them all, and before things got so messed up between her and Fox that they couldn't even talk to each other.

"How am I going to fix this?"

000


	12. Just Doing It

000

"What do you mean you aren't coming back? Where do you plan to go?"

The vixen rolled her eyes and sighed, not in any mood to explain herself, "I can still land at Terria, I've already gotten clearance."

"But why?" Peppy asked, not understanding why Fara would want to go to Terria. Surely she wasn't that set on getting back to Fox...was she?

"Because!" she exclaimed, clearly annoyed with them all at this point, "I want to check on...them..." she finished, spitting out the final word.

"Fara I assure you they are fine, I just talked to Fox a few hours ago, everything is all right."

She fought back the urge to tell the old hare what she really wanted to say, what was burning inside of her as she imagined Fox alone with Krystal for even one night. They would never understand why she had to get to him, she had to show everyone, especially that sapphire bitch, that Fox was hers.

"Look, it doesn't matter." Fara answered, nearing the outer skies of Terria, "I'm already here, I've already got the clearance to land, I'm going to see them."

With that said she ended their transmission, leaving a confused Peppy in the control room with an unseen, worried, Katt Monroe standing in the doorway. Things were going to get bad. She didn't know what the situation was between Fox and Krystal at the moment but she was sure of one thing. If they didn't admit how they felt before Fara arrived then neither of them may ever get the chance again.

000

"G-Gerand...the Gerand."

"You mean the Garan?"

The vulpine closed his eyes and pinched the base of his nose, doing his best in his drunken state to think of the name of their hotel. At this point, considering how much alcohol he had consumed, he was amazed he was still able to walk, much less ask for directions.

"Y-yeah," he murmured faintly, "Can you point me in the right direction?"

The large swine raised an eyebrow at him before placing his hands on the vulpine's shoulders and spinning him around to where he faced a rather tall and familiar looking building. Upon closer, hammered, inspection the intoxicated fox realized that he had been in front of it all along. He looked back at the pig, wanting to thank the guy for his help but he had already begun to walk away, shaking his head and muttering something to himself.

Fox looked back towards the hotel, wondering if he should even bother going back. He knew there was something inside there that he was scared of, he just couldn't remember what. In fact all he could remember at the moment was a wise cracking, tan furred, cougar named Walter or Walker, who insisted on handing him shot after shot of the honey colored liquid.

"_**_**You got it bro, go fix things."**_**_

That had been the last thing he had heard from his new found drinking pal before stumbling out into the streets and gazing up into the bright city lights as darkness finally began to set in. Never before in his life had the vulpine been so wasted. Whatever the bartender had been pouring them felt like it was strong enough to peel paint, and the effects were still very much evident as he had quietly, yet awkwardly made his way down the streets.

He had never been that far from the hotel in the first place, but in his current state it felt like a maze just walking the couple of blocks back. But now, after taking 20 minutes to walk a distance of 3 blocks, he finally stood outside of the Garan Hotel and gazed up its 13 stories in awe as he let his drunken mind run wild.

He knew that if he dug deep enough he would remember the cause of all this, the reason behind his current state, but that wasn't the objective. The objective was, at least to his drunk mind, to do something he had been meaning to do for a long time, to fix something that he had broken. If only he could remember what it was.

__M-man, that guy knew his stuff. Now lets see...I'm here for a reason, the hotel. I know I've got a room here, right? What was the floor, and room number?__

He had made his way inside now and over to the elevators, struggling to walk like he wasn't totally shitfaced. He was almost ready to just start at room number 1 and try his key on them all until he found the right door, but somehow common sense made itself known in the smallest portion of his sober mind and the vulpine looked at the backside of his room key until he found what he guessed was a room number.

__372? Its either that or 38245...__

Chance favored him and he decided to to go with the actual room number and not the serial number on the card. He pressed the button and waited for the for elevator to make its way down, simultaneously searching every corner of his heart and mind for an answer to the question that had been plaguing him ever since he began to forget. (making sense here?)

__Why do I still feel so sick on the inside? I can feel it, its there. What did I do wrong? What do I need to do?__

Had there been a sober version of himself there to answer those questions he was sure he'd tell himself that, one, you probably need to throw up one or two gallons of that alcohol you consumed, and two, you ruined any chance you ever had of being with the only one you ever loved.

But this wasn't the case and the vulpine was left wondering until finally the doors opened and he stepped inside, catching a disgusted look from a mother rabbit as she ushered her 3 children out beside him. He stepped in and turned towards the panel, knowing that each button had a set of numbers beside it but so intoxicated that they might as well have been in hieroglyphics. After a few seconds of determined thinking he reached forward and pressed one of them, sighing afterward and falling back against the wall.

"What is wrong with me?"

He looked up at the fluorescent light and tried to think of an answer to that question that was even halfway acceptable, knowing he'd come up with nothing in the end. Something inside him still hurt like hell, he just couldn't place what it was. There was a perfectly good reason he was like this, something had really gotten to him if he had allowed this to happen. The vulpine knew his sober side had enough self control to determine where to draw the line.

So to have let it go this far, it must have been devastating.

__Maybe I don't want to know what it was...__

The familiar 'ding' accompanied by the doors sliding open jerked him out of his thoughts and back into reality. He forced himself to step forward and out of the elevator, immediately faced with another decision as the hallway went both left and right. To his left he saw a water fountain and an ice machine, to his right there sat a couple of vending machines. Not really giving it any thought or reason he went right, his drunken logic stating that a couple of snack filled vending machines were more appealing than city flavored water and that same exact water frozen into cubes.

Sober Fox would have looked at the room numbers listed on the wall and instantly have known which way to go, but wasted Fox went by drunk instinct, which apparently wasn't that bad as the first room number he looked up and noticed happened to be 356. He continued walking, wanting to feel some form of excitement or anxiety concerning what was ahead of him, but receiving none. Walker had been right when he told him that he was drinking liquid courage. He wasn't nervous, at least not yet, but he also had no idea what he was up against.

__366__

He stumbled and placed his hand on the wall to steady himself, forgetting about what might be ahead of him and instead focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

"It's probably something stupid," he muttered to himself, looking up and noticing a 368 numbered by the next door. "Its prolly all my fault too."

Rational thought was escaping him and he wanted to feel annoyed at himself for not being able to think straight, but his mind wouldn't even allow that. All he knew as of now was that something was wrong, something was messed up, and he was almost sure that whatever it was resided on the other side of the door five feet ahead of him.

He reached for his wallet in his back pocket and pulled out the card key, staring at both it and the insertion slot on the door. He turned it over and slid it in, a red flash and low toned beep telling him that he had done it wrong. Flipping the card over once again he inserted it in the slot, getting another red flash and low toned beep in response. He sighed and rested is forehead against the door, exhaustion pulling on ever fiber of his being. He wasn't physically tired so much as he was emotionally and mentally. Whatever it was that had made him go this far, it was big, and it must have meant a lot to him.

This time he turned the card around rather than over and tried it once again, now getting a green flash and high toned beep in response. He rolled his eyes and pushed down on the handle before stepping back into his room.

That's when it hit him.

He wasn't sure what it was that had jogged his drunken memory, maybe it was her flight suit on the floor, maybe it was the television still covering the plane crash that had happened seemingly years ago, or maybe it was her scent, that amazing unforgettable smell that overtook him as soon as he entered the room. He couldn't say, but whatever it was it did the trick. Instantly it all came back to him; Fara, Krystal, the argument, the 'almost' kiss, what she said about it not bothering her.

Even in his deeply intoxicated state, it all came back to him. But this time it was different, this time he would do something about it.

He entered the main room and looked around, catching no signs of the blue fox that was staying with him. He stood still for a second and listened, the sound of running water coming from the bathroom stopping almost as soon as he did. He placed his paw on the handle and pressed down, surprised to find that it wasn't locked this time.

Without wasting a second he pushed in on it, the warmer, steam filled room overtaking him as he struggled to stay focused, almost instantly seeing the vixen he cared so much for. At first she didn't notice him, which the vulpine would have found odd any other time, but this didn't stop him as he met her surprised gaze, not looking away as he closed the gap between them.

"Fox!" she managed to exclaim, surprise more than evident in her voice, "What are...

He didn't let her finish and his ferocity surprised them both as he instantly had her up against the wall, his hands holding each of her shoulders as he locked the kiss into place. It didn't matter if she wanted this or not, things had gone too far for that. This was something he had to do, something that, even though he was drunk he knew was justifiable. All he wanted from this was the kiss, her naked body had no influence on it, even if it was sculpted by angels.

He continued to press into the kiss, wanting to feel her response before he stopped. She hadn't tried to pull away from him, she didn't try to fight it, yet she hadn't pushed back. He knew it was sudden, he knew it wasn't what she expected, especially after all that had happened between them, but he had to do it anyway. He could only hope it was the right move.

000

The warm water that rained down from the shower head was, at the moment, the only comfort that she could find. And the more she thought about that the more pathetic she knew it must have looked had anyone been able to see her. Part of her knew the pain she felt was all her fault, but another part wanted to blame Fox or Fara, or maybe even both.

If she would stop thinking about it, stop remembering how great her life had been before this, how perfect her relationship with Fox __had __been before Fara showed up, if she could ignore them then maybe the pain would go away, if only for a little while. But not thinking about Fox was impossible. How could she not think about the person her whole world revolved around?

She had stopped searching for him mentally, figuring he was out somewhere having a good time or talking to Fara back at his Arwing. If that was the case then she didn't want to be in his thoughts. The way she saw it the only time things would get at least somewhat better would be when they got back to GreatFox, moved out or forced her to leave, and left her the way they had found her.

Alone.

Long since had the soap and shampoo been washed off her body and the vixen finally decided she had been standing in the soothing water long enough. If anything the shower had only made things worse as she had continued to think of how bad it had all went and how messed up everything had gotten. She wanted to cry but didn't, somehow holding back on the tears that were massing inside of her. Instead she reached forward and turned the handles to the left, throwing open the curtain and reaching for a towel.

She stepped out and turned around, instantly face to face with an all too familiar vulpine.

"Fox!" she yelled, beginning to cover herself with her hands, "What are..."

He cut her off, firmly taking hold of her shoulders and pushing her to the right until she was up against the wall. Her eyes were wide in surprise as his mouth pressed up against her own and instantly she tasted the overwhelming presence of alcohol on him. She looked into his gaze, trying to find some form of reasoning behind this but seeing only desperation in his sight as he went even further with the kiss.

__He's drunk, this isn't right...__

Yet even though her mind told her to fight it her heart ended up making the final decision and before she could reconsider her actions the vixen began answering the kiss, pressing back against the vulpine that she so dearly loved. She could feel the tenseness leave his body as he realized she wasn't going against his actions and his hands left her shoulders, only to make their way around her waist as he pulled her body against his own.

The vixen's mind found almost everything about this wrong. This wasn't how she had wanted it to be, it wasn't fair to him, or her! But try as she might, regardless of how drunk or confused either of them happened to be, she couldn't fight it...not anymore.

__I don't care...If he's going to pick Fara over me in the end then at least I'll have this memory with him.__

With that final thought she ignored her morals and values altogether and gave in to the lust that had taken over her body. Her arms intertwined behind his neck and she pulled him even closer, both of them urging on the kiss, neither ever wanting to let go. She felt his hands rest at the base of her tail, renewing some of the same thoughts from earlier, her mind telling her that this was all happening too fast, that it wasn't right, that she shouldn't be taking advantage of him because he was drunk.

But just a few minutes ago she had thought that something like this would never happen, she had given up on ever being with the vulpine in a situation such as this, but now that is __WAS __happening the vixen couldn't help but take it as fate. That for at least this night she'd have him.

Subconsciously, still devoting most of her attention towards the mouth connected to her own and the tongue that explored it, she slipped off his jacket, then pulled off his belt. She met his gaze, wondering what his reaction would be, surprised to see nothing but lust and eagerness filling them as he continued to pressure the kiss while his hands pulled against her from each side of her tail.

She then began to pull up on his shirt, knowing that this would, if only for a brief moment, interrupt their kiss. But the vulpine had no intention on letting it stop at all and no sooner had she gotten the white top over his muzzle did her reconnect their mouths and resume exploring. Slowly she slid her hands between his pants and his fur, gently tugging downward on each side, knowing that this was all that prevented her from getting everything Fox had to offer.

Yet that same voice in her mind, the voice that still held some string of authority on the puppet that was her conscious once again made itself evident, and this time it influenced the vixen more than she would have liked.

__You love him more than anything else don't you? If you do this...if you go through with it, you'll ruin any real chance you'll ever have. This is NOT the way to do it. He's drunk. That doesn't mean he isn't doing what his heart is telling him, but hes not doing it the right way!__

She met his gaze once again, this time noticing the blurry, distant look his eyes harbored because of the alcohol. She knew there was a possibility he was doing this, not because he was drunk but because he really wanted to. Maybe this was what he had wanted all along, because it was sure as hell what she had wanted. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise she knew she loved him too much to let it happen like this.

__I want it to be true...I want you to be the Fox I've come to love when...if...you do it. This...this isn't right. Even if you do end up with Fara...this still isn't right.__

She found herself cursing that voice in her mind now, knowing that merely seconds before she had been thinking the exact opposite and not caring whether or not he was drunk. But in her heart she knew she couldn't do it. She wanted them both to be sure of it when it happened.

__If...it happens.__

Regretfully and ever so slowly she pulled away, placing her hands on each side of his face and looking up at him.

"Krystal," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist now, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have...

"Shh," she interrupted him, forcing a small smile and pressing her muzzle against his, "It's okay Fox."

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his, preparing a trick in her mind she rarely ever used. She looked into his thoughts, seeing only herself and a deep white mist. Never before had she tried to look into the mind of someone while they were drunk and she was surprised to find it was much like looking into their mind while they were asleep. Just whiteness.

She felt his grasp on her waist begin to loosen, his body's weight growing heavier and heavier on her own as the vixen put him into a deep sleep. She felt so confused now, half of her wanting to finish what he had started, but the other half wanting to do the right thing because she really truly loved him. And somewhere in between it all she was trying to take in all of this and how it seemed to be happening so quickly.

Eventually his mind went completely blank and she grabbed his right arm and pulled him into the bedroom before easing him down onto the bed. She looked down at him, feeling both amused and disheartened at the vulpine's state. Sure he had been drunk, but the passion that had overwhelmed them both was unreal. She had never experienced that side of him before and could only hope, if they were ever together in the future, that he showed that same ferocity again.

__Maybe it wasn't the beer, maybe he meant to do this all along...__

She didn't bother putting his shirt back on, merely pulling the cover up before sliding in beside him. The state she had put his mind in would keep him sleeping until at least noon of the next day and she would easily be awake by then. So, figuring it just might be the only time she ever got to do it, she snuggled up beside the vulpine. This was what she had wanted for so long now. To be like this, unclothed and by his side, holding onto him and matching the rise and fall of his chest...she knew it was the nights sleep that she had been dreaming about ever since she had met him, and figured she would probably get none.

Yet his magnificent scent, the steady beating of his heart, and her muzzle nestled under his neck all proved too much for the vixen and within a minutes time she had drifted off, the same thought still on her mind.

__Maybe it wasn't the beer...__

000


	13. CatFight

000 TIME: 9:00 AM relevant if you read the previous chapter.

__Hold nothing back. Do whatever it takes to get him, to get what I deserve.__

The brown vixen stepped out of the cab and onto the sidewalk of the already busy streets of Cornerian city, her eyes locking onto the golden letters that ran across the front of the massive hotel known as the Garan. She knew they were here for a couple of reasons. One, because she and Fox had stayed there a number of times themselves back before she left him and she knew that he'd end up coming here. And two because, after being denied entrance into Corneria and redirected to Terria she had secretly eavesdropped on the vulpine as he explained the situation to Peppy.

She made her way inside and up to the front desk, wasting no time in finding out where they were.

"There is a McCloud in room 372," the secretary replied, "Do you want me to call him?"

"That wont be necessary," the vixen replied, keeping her cool, "I'm actually his wife, I just wanted to see him. You see..." she added, leaning forward and faking excitement, "He works for my father and I've just received news that he's being promoted to the rank of Major."

"Oh so he's in the military?"

"Yes. Only he doesn't know he's been promoted and I wanted to surprise him. See, hes on leave now, we're originally from Titan, and he has no idea I've flown all the way over here. So I was wondering if I could get his room key and sneak in and surprise him?"

The well thought out plan, accompanied with flawless acting did its job and after only a seconds pause to think the secretary, who happened to be a lynx, clasped her paws together and smiled in response.

"Oh my that is so romantic and sweet! Of course I'll get you a key!"

A smirk ran across the vixen's face as she took the card from the lynx and voiced her thanks.

"I remember him checking in," she added, "I can picture the two of you together, you make a great couple I bet!"

Fara laughed and smiled in return, "Yes, he's my whole world!" she turned and flashed the room key in the air, "Thank you!"

Seconds later she was in an elevator, pressing the 'close door' button and ignoring the surprised and annoyed faces of others wanting to get on. To the fennec fox they didn't matter though, she could care less what they thought about her. In the end it wasn't their opinion she wanted, it wasn't their love or their kiss, it was only Fox's. She was willing to lie, cheat, and anything else it took to get him, actions that were all to obvious as she overlooked the room key that she had conned out of the secretary.

__I know he loves me, but that Cerenian, I know what they can do with their minds. If she's alone with him she could control him, she could make him do things now because she knows once they get back to the ship he'll still love me!__

She had no doubt in her mind that Krystal was jealous of her and Fox, and the fact that she could manipulate him so easily was the only thing about her that scared Fara. Unlike her, Fox had not learned how to block out his thoughts, he couldn't keep that blue bitch from controlling him like she had done so many times before.

__I bet she thinks he actually has feelings for her! All this time it was just her mind controlling him, toying with his emotions and providing a false sense of affection. But don't worry Fox, I'm coming for you, I'll make sure that bitch never controls you again.__

Of course she had no idea if anything had went down or not, and for the most part she wanted to believe that Fox was strong enough to stay true to his heart, to stay true to __her. __But at the same time she couldn't help but know that something had happened. She knew Cerenian's before they had been all but destroyed, she had been friends with many of them and at one point admired their ability to probe the minds of others, to read their thoughts and control their actions to some extent. But those friendships soon ended after she seen how easily they could control who or what they desired, and after realizing that one of her 'friends' had feelings for Fox she isolated them from her world altogether and learned to lock off her mind from their freak powers.

__I should have taught that to Fox! I had my chance to prevent this all along and I didn't take it. I screwed up and now he's being used!"__

"But no more." she muttered to herself, stepping out of the elevator and heading down the hallway, following the room numbers as they steadily climbed from 350. "This time I wont let him go again. This time I'll hold onto him forever."

__And there is nothing that Cerenian can do to stop me.__

364

__I mean honestly, does she really think that Fox would humor her and actually enter a relationship? As if she wasn't already desperate enough, she has to trick him into agreeing with whatever she says in order to get close to him.__

370

__What we have is real though, I don't have to play with his mind. What he says to me comes from his heart, and that is something that bitch will never hear.__

372

She paused and let her senses reach forward, smell and sound bringing back as much unseen information as possible before entering. She heard nothing, only silence, and feared that they may not even be here. But then the smell registered in her mind and the overwhelming scent of alcohol overtook her and the vixen didn't have to guess what had happened. She knew.

__She got him drunk, I just now it. Another pathetic effect of her powers.__

The card key entered the slot and a green flash followed, the brown vixen's hand instantly pressing down on the door handle and easing it open as she stepped inside. Once more the scent of both Fox and Krystal overtook her, accompanied by that of the liquor that radiated from the vulpine. She silently stepped forward a few more steps until she was in full view of the room, her narrowed gaze resting on the two bodies that were wrapped around each other on the room's only bed.

For a moment she simply stood there, her mind knowing what had happened and who had caused it but still not wanting to believe it. She couldn't take her eyes off that bitch, her arm around his neck, muzzle resting in his chest, sleeping as if she hadn't done the sluttiest act in the universe.

__I was too late. She's knew she'd never have Fox so she took last night as an opportunity to get him before did, and he doesn't know it. He may not ever know, depending on how much damage she did to him.__

Her hands were now fists, shaking with rage as she felt the hate and anger take over her body. She had been afraid of this all along, she had known that this could happen. It had been their plan all along. Locking her in the bathroom so they'd leave without her, and even closing down the entire airport, which she was sure the vixen and her pink friend played a part in. But despite these things she had still managed to get by them and find her way back to Fox, to save him from that sapphire bitch and whatever it was she planned on doing.

__But I was too late. She knew she'd lost so she took advantage of him while she still could.__

She was now standing beside the sleeping vixen, her narrowed gaze resting on the sapphire fox's arm as it wrapped around Fox's neck. In one swift movement she grabbed the hand and the vixen's neck and had her pinned up against the wall, immediate surprise overtaking the Cerenian as she was jerked from her dreams and thrown back into reality, face to face with Fara Phoenix.

000

The struggle for breath only made the excitement and emotions grow that much more intense as the vixen continued to push against his mouth, determined to outlast the vulpine in their battle for oral dominance. She felt his hands make their way down her shoulders and arms until finally resting on her rear, gently pulling against her waist as the two foxes continued to hold onto each other. To his back the shower threw water which hit the back of her hands and his neck as she pulled him even further into their kiss.

This time he had no clothes, no alcohol in his system, and nothing to be sorry for. This time the only thing that either of them was concerned with was expressing just how much it was that they felt for the other, even if it took all night. This time it was right. It was perfect.

Of course, this time it was a dream. But that didn't make it any less real to the vixen, not at the moment anyway.

In her unconscious mind somewhere she knew it was a dream, but she was too afraid to think much of it, knowing that once one realized they were dreaming they tended to wake up, and right now, in this dream, that was something she did not want. So she allowed her mind to continue its own thought up fantasy as she firmly ran her claws down the vulpine's back when his hands slipped even further down her body. It almost felt too real to be a dream, having just the night before learned what it was like to kiss the vulpine, but she didn't care anymore.

Even now, in this dream she felt a foreboding sense of pain and heartache, knowing that Fara was still determined to get to Fox, and that the vulpine still had mixed feelings towards them both.

Finally the two of them broke apart, gasping for breath as they looked into each others eyes.

"I...love...you." he panted, pulling even tighter on her waist and pressing his muzzle against her own.

"I love you more." she answered, mimicking the embrace by putting her paws back around his neck and connecting their mouths once again.

He growled in satisfaction before stepping forward and pushing her against the wall, the vixen instantly feeling surprised at the amount of force that he had used. It had been rough enough to bring tears to her eyes and she pulled out of the kiss in hope to breath but that too didn't seem to work. Instantly her eyes flew open and she realized she was no longer dreaming and that the pain she felt in her back and the inability to breath were both all too real.

"You no good slut!"

The vixen's paws instantly went to hand around her throat as she struggled to free herself, but Fara proved to be much stronger than she imagined and her attempts to free herself only caused the fennec fox to press her even harder into the wall.

"I knew you were going to try something!" Fara said, anger and rage completely evident all over her body, "But this is just sad."

The struggle for oxygen had begun to reach a critical level and the sapphire fox's struggles began to become more and faint and effortless as her body used up the last of its strength.

"To get him drunk and use him like that," she said darkly, "Oh and look! You're still wet? I guess you had your fun...didn't you?"

At this point Krystal had given up fighting as black edges began to form around her gaze, the inevitable blackout and possible death on its way. She could only half comprehend what Fara was saying now, not understanding what she meant by her being 'wet' although had she been in a less frantic state of mind she would've known it was simply from her dream and not from actual sex.

"I expected nothing less from a Cerenian." Fara added, smiling at the unconscious look that began to creep over her face, "A planet of whores and perverts who used their powers for sex and deception. Andross actually did us a favor when he killed all of them. Well...almost all of them."

Somewhere in the back of her still functioning mind these words connected and caused a reaction in the sapphire vixen she had never felt before. Her grip on Fara's arm instantly tightened, her claws digging into the fennec fox's forearm causing her to cry out in pain as she released her neck. She jumped back and examined the blood, allowing the blue vixen to gasp in relief and pain as the much needed oxygen refilled her body. The pain in her neck was crazy but the anger that surged throughout her body overtook it as she replayed what Fara had said about her people.

"How dare you talk about my people like that," she managed to say, her voice sore and cracked, "We only used our powers for good, never evil. What Andross did was destroy the most beautiful planet in Lylat, he did no one a favor."

Fara looked up at her, flicking the blood from her arm and allowing a smirk to cross her face. "He did __me__ a favor."

Krystal shot forward and tackled her, throwing her into the wall. Fara had no idea what she was capable of, but she would find out and she wouldn't ever think of a Cerenian the same way again. But the surprise in Fara's gaze instantly faded away and she brought her knee up into the vixen's chest, Krystal just managing to get her arms in front of her before it connected. But this freed the fennec fox and once again the sapphire vixen just did manage to get out of the way before a set of fists landed where her head had been.

"You say you only use your powers for good?" she asked, the two of them locked onto each others gaze, "Then tell me why he hasn't woken up yet? I know he's not that heavy of a sleeper. I, of all people, would know."

Krystal ignored her insult, "I put him into that sleep on purpose."

"Oh, big surprise there. Just like a Cerenian to do something like that."

The final word had just gotten out of her mouth before the sapphire fox's fist went flying by, Fara barely being able to dodge it. However Krystal's other hand did not miss and a fraction of a second later connected with Fara's gut, throwing the fox backwards against the wall.

"My people are nothing like you speak." Krystal whispered in her ear before grabbing her by the shoulders and throwing her across the room. "And neither am I!"

The one punch had been enough to knock the wind out of Fara but had not done nowhere near enough damage to end the fight, but the brown vixen had now been able to size up her opponent and she realized, without a blaster on her side, she wouldn't be able to best the blue fox without first receiving a decent beating herself. So she decided to play her original game.

"You say that," she replied, standing up and brushing off the punch, "But the signs are all here. Just look; you're naked, he's drunk and will be hungover when he wakes up only to realize he's half naked with your scent all over him. Regardless of what you say, its all here."

"I did nothing." Krystal answered firmly, not wavering. "I did not get him drunk, I did not have sex with him. I don't want it to be that way."

This time Fara laughed and the blue vixen had to fight hard to keep from lunging at her once more. "It wont ever be that way, don't you get it? All this time you never had a chance!"

"You don't know that!"

"But I do!" Fara replied, still halfway laughing, "The day he rescued you from Dinosaur Planet Fox got back in touch with me, for what reason I don't know. But ever since then, ever night for the last few months, we have been talking."

This time the vixen said nothing, instead searching her thoughts for some sign of validity in what Fara was saying. She had no idea whether this was true or not, having not even known of Fara until last week. She had never searched Fox's mind for someone else, always assuming those feelings he had were directed towards her.

"What?" Fara asked, faking a surprised look, "Did you honestly think that I just decided to pay a visit for the hell of it? That Fox telling me he wanted to give us another shot had nothing to do with it?"

__No...she's lying...I know she is...just let me look into her mind and...__

The sapphire fox cried out in pain as she fell to the ground, once again being forcefully kicked out of Fara's mind.

"Oh what? Cant read my thoughts? That's a shame, I guess you'll just have to find out for yourself then."

"You're lying. He doesn't love you."

"You don't know that though do you?" she asked, crossing her arms and smirking as the she shakily pulled herself back up to her feet. "I can only wonder what he'll think when he wakes up and hears what I have to tell him."

"What __you __have to tell him? __You __weren't there! You don't know what happened!"

"Its like I said, the signs are all there. Any trained monkey can see you got him drunk and used your powers to get him into bed with you."

"I didn't do that!" she replied angrily, "I would never do that to Fox!"

"Oh no?" Fara asked raising her eyebrow, "Well excuse me if I find that hard to believe. It's just, the fact that you forced him into a state of unconsciousness only seems to make it more and more obvious of what you did."

"I did that to stop him! Just wait, he'll remember. He knows what happened."

"He'll think he does."

Silence filled the room as Krystal took another hard look at Fara, getting a true picture of the fennec fox as she was. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that Fara would do anything to have Fox. She would tell any story, make any move, spend as many credits as needed, and even kill anyone to get him. When competing for him, Fara was as demented as Andross, and Krystal could only question her sanity.

"How far will you go?" the blue vixen finally asked, "How much are you willing to hurt him, to tell lies and play with his mind, just so you can have him?"

The fennec fox smirked and cast a glance at the still sleeping vulpine, "I'm willing to go as far as necessary," her voice calm and dark, "And I will."

She watched as the brown vixen made her way over to the bed, resting her paw on the vulpine's chest before leaning down and kissing him gently on the lips, Krystal making no attempt to disguise the growl of jealousy that was building up inside her. Fara merely allowed a light laugh to escape before making her way across the room towards the blue fox.

"Tell him whatever you want when he wakes," she muttered, stopping as she reached her side, "It wont matter soon."

With that the brown vixen left, the sound of the door closing behind her telling the vixen that it was okay to fall to her knees in exhaustion and pain. One hand made its way to her throat, the pain from Fara's powerful choke hold still far too evident for her liking. Her mind was swarming with thoughts now, trying to decipher everything that Fara said, trying to find an answer that would fix everything. She looked up at the vulpine, still unconscious and unaware of the confrontation that had taken place between the two vixens.

__How did she find us? How did she get in the room? No. How does she know he loves her? Has it really been Fara all this time? Those feelings I got from Fox, where they for Fara all along? Is that really why she's here? To fix things with Fox?__

She didn't know whether or not to believe __anything __that the brown fox had told her. She was half insane with love for Fox, willing to do whatever necessary to get him. For all she knew Fara could be planning to kill them all just so she can have Fox to herself. It wasn't crazy, not anymore. It was all too real and all too possible. So much had to be figured out now, so much had to be set right.

__What is going to happen to us? After everything, the past day, last night, this morning, after all of it, how can things not possibly end in disaster?__

000


	14. Hungover Screwups

000

__What do I say when he wakes up? Do I tell him about Fara or just act like it never happened? And what about last night? Do I just bring it up and hope he takes it okay? Just how much does Fox remember from it all?__

The summers breeze kissed the vixen's face as she stood out on the balcony of their room overlooking a busy Cornerian City. It was a beautiful day, perfect in every single aspect of the definition. Big puffy clouds slowly floated across the blue sky, in the distance she could see parasailors and other boats out on the sea, enjoying the warm weather for all it was worth. In her mind she could picture her and Fox out there enjoying all of it, walking down the streets and entering the stores, seeing movies, visiting attractions, and finally walking along the beach as the sun set beside them on the horizon.

But at this point that was __all __she could do. Imagine.

Everything else had gone to hell, and fast. What was going to become of her and the vulpine she could only guess, but every time she did so it seemed she ended up losing him to Fara.

__I just don't know what to do. I'm afraid to try anything at all at this point. It's not like I'm scared of Fara, I can hold my own against her. Its what she can do to Fox. I know there is something about her that doesn't ring true, something that I could find out if I could only manage to get inside her thoughts.__

She brought a paw up to her head and remembered the pain that had once again flashed inside her temple after trying to read Fara's thoughts. Somehow she had been blocked out again and the blue vixen was desperate to learn why.

From behind her came a painful moan and she turned back inside to see that Fox had sat up against the headboard, his eyes still closed as he held his forehead with a paw. The vixen couldn't help but smile, knowing she'd never fall victim to the effects of a hangover being a Cerenian. At first she stood in front of the glass door that led out to the balcony, waiting as Fox slowly yet surely came to his senses and woke up.

"Damn," he mumbled, "My head feels like someone drove a nail through it."

Finally he opened his eyes and looked around, first noticing the hotel room, then the clothes on the floor, then his own lack of clothing, and finally the sapphire vixen watching him from the side. For a moment he held her gaze, the vixen softly smiling at him as he slowly began to put the blurry pieces of the puzzle into place. She let herself into his thoughts, following him as he slowly retraced his steps, remembering the bar and the cougar named Walker, then the drinks that kept coming and coming as he tried to make himself feel better.

Things got blurry then but finally he remembered the hotel and making his way back up to the room, then the vending machines, and then the bathroom. She followed his thoughts even further now as he remembered opening the bathroom door and seeing her face, her body still dripping wet and bare as she stepped out of the shower.

The vulpine's eyes closed in guilt as he remembered pushing her up against the wall and forcing the kiss on her, begging the vixen to give in and kiss him back. He remembered feeling her body and holding onto her for all he was worth. He remembered losing most of his clothes and preparing to show the vixen how much she meant to him in the best way possible, but then everything went black. Then he remembered nothing.

"It's okay Fox." she murmured, making her way over to the bed and sitting down beside him.

"No...no its not." he replied, "I'm...I'm sorry Krystal. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to...it was just the beer...

"The alcohol had nothing to do with it."

He stopped and held her gaze, too afraid to say or think anything else that might make things worse. He finally bowed his head, slowly shaking it before standing and throwing his shirt on.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, "That's not how a team leader should act, I'm supposed to set an example."

"Team leader?" she asked, annoyed somewhat at the formality, "Do you hear yourself sometimes? Is that what you think you are to me?" she continued, standing now, "What are you scared of? Why wont you just say what needs to be said and get it over with?"

The two of them froze, standing feet apart and holding the others gaze. This was the deepest any conversation had ever gotten between them and she could only pray he said something she wanted to hear, that he would finally just give in and tell her the truth, regardless of whether or not it was what she wanted to hear.

"I-I...cant." he finally muttered, turning towards the door.

"Why not!" she demanded, stopping him in his tracks as he opened it.

"Because," he said softly, bowing his head, "I don't want to lose you." With that he closed the door behind him, leaving the vixen alone and distraught as she tried to figure out just what he meant.

__What do you mean lose me? What are you afraid of Fox?__

000

The instant the doors to the elevator closed his fist made contact with them, anger and humiliation overwhelming the vulpine as he took into account everything that he had completely fucked up within the last 24 hours.

__I'm such an idiot! I keep making mistake after mistake! Everything is getting worse and worse and all I end up doing is hurting her! Why cant I stop? Why can I not stop hurting that beautiful fox? What is wrong with me?__

His hangover only made things worse, making it harder and harder to think clearly while ignoring the pain throbbing in his temple. He knew Fara had been there. He had smelled her scent and her blood, and he could easily piece together what had happened between the two of them while he had been sleeping. He also knew what had ended up happening to himself the night before, having witnessed Krystal put Falco to sleep one night after he too came in rather wasted.

__But this time is different. This time I went too far, I crossed the line and she had to stop me. That's how bad it was.__

He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain that came from it as his nails dug into his palms. His mind continued to play the cause and effects of everything that had went down and so far it only made him even sicker to his stomach.

__Fara found us and got into it with Krystal. She knows I have feelings for her...__

He knew that Fara still loved him now, but the feeling he got from it wasn't anything like he had hoped. Sure a couple of years back he had been in love with the brown vixen, but after she had left him for not having enough credits to his name he had realized that she wasn't for him, she would never be for him. But Krystal, she was everything he had ever wanted. She wasn't uptight, she didn't have high standards or a bad attitude, she was just amazing in every way.

__And I'll never get her now.__

The elevator doors opened and he stepped out, not knowing where he was going, only wanting to somehow escape the mess he had made. He stepped out onto the sidewalk and into the mass of pedestrians that filled it, hoping to get lost in the buzz and maybe, just maybe feel like he was one of them for a moment and not the idiot that he really was.

__After everything I've done to her, after all I've said...is there a chance at all that she'll still feel the same way towards me that I do about her?__

He wanted to hope there was, that somehow the sapphire vixen would see past all of his mistakes and still want to be with him. But that hope was crushed the more that he thought about it. He had done the wrong thing too many times, he had struck out enough for an entire ball game. He could easily see why she would have given up on him, that is if she ever gave him a chance in the first place.

He shoved his paws down in his pockets, instantly feeling a piece of paper that he didn't remember being there before. Of course after last night he couldn't remember anything that didn't involve him ruining his own life. He pulled it out and unfolded it, instantly recognizing the curvy, swift writing that Fara trademarked.

"Pier 6, 1:30."

Without missing a beat he grabbed the wrist of the animal beside him and twisted his arm over in order to see his watch, ignoring his shock and protest.

__12:55. I've got 35 minutes to get there. I can make it...__

He let go of the pig's arm and took in the air around him, instantly smelling the salty scent that came from the sea and knowing the right direction to head in. He took off, dodging between the crowded masses as he determinedly made his way to his destination.

__After all the shit I've been through, after all the hell and suffering I've put Krystal through, you better have something to say Fara and it better be good.__

000

Pier 6, all but empty as the rest of the the beach goers subsided on the sand or in the water.

The brown fox smiled to herself from under the shaded umbrella that stuck up from the round table. She knew he'd come, whether or not it was at 1:30 or 3:30, he'd come, and she'd be waiting. Of course Pier 6 was no coincidence and they both knew it. It had been on this dock that they had shared their first kiss, and it would be where they shared their next one as well.

She had no idea how the morning had went for him after he had woken, but there was part of her that knew it went just as disastrously as expected. Which was perfect. The more that blue bitch screwed things up the better. Fox __would__be hers eventually, of this Fara was sure, but it didn't hurt that the Cerenian was only making things worse.

__He'll be mine, just as it should be. He knows its right, I know its right, the only one who cant take a hint is that stupid bitch. But oh well, in the end it will only make watching her collapse that much more entertaining.__

For a brief second the wind shifted back out to sea, carrying with it the scent she had been waiting for. She turned around to see him coming, his powerful muscles and strong body making thier way towards her, a determined thoughtful look in his gaze as he tried to act like he knew what he was going to say to her. Fara held her expression though, not expressing either joy or anger, only that blank gaze that made the vulpine more and more uncomfortable as he closed the gap between them.

Finally he stopped, two, maybe three feet from the vixen, still holding her gaze with an unsure look on his face.

__Time to fix things.__

She held his gaze for a second longer, allowing the tension to build up between them for a few moments before finally standing up and stepping forward, closing the gap between them. Without a seconds hesitation her hand met the side of his face, the slap really taking a toll on the vulpine in his hungover state and nearly throwing him to the ground. Surprise flooded his face as he took it in, beginning to put a paw on his cheek to rub out the pain but never getting a chance.

Hardly a second after the slap she wrapped her arms around his neck and connected their mouths, an overwhelming sense of shock and surprise taking him over. But the fennec fox didn't lighten up, knowing that he still had doubts, knowing that she had to use the inevitable lust that was building up inside him in order to get him to give in. She ran one paw through his hair, the other down his back and around his waist before back up between his shirt and fur, never stopping as she pressed on with the kiss.

It took longer than she had wanted, almost ten seconds or so, but finally it happened. She felt the vulpine press back, allowing lust to overtake his rational thought, his mind only focusing on the vixen before him and not the fur color or name. She felt his paws slide to her waist as he mimicked her actions, running across her body and exploring its curves and bumps.

__Good boy.__

Slowly she eased him around until he was in front of the table, forcing him down as she sat on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist and causing him to look up at her as she pressed on with the kiss. She knew she had him now, regardless of what he had come to say to her it wouldn't matter. At this point he was clay in her hands and she could mold him any way he wanted.

__I know you Fox, better than anyone ever will. I know how to control you without using powers like the ones that bitch has. So don't you ever try to leave me again.__

Another minute of this ensued until finally she pulled away, bringing up a finger and breaking the line of saliva in half that still connected their mouths before licking it off. She could feel the heat and lust coming from him, but the look of guilt and regret in his eyes was all too obvious, but that didn't matter. He had done it and he knew it, there was no going back now. He was like every other vulpine in the universe, regardless of how nice or faithful he was to someone, all it would take to break him is a little 'affection.'

"I missed you," she panted, still catching her breath.

He met her gaze, still fighting every lust filled thought and intention in his body to the best of his ability. She could tell he wasn't sure what to say, but that was perfect, that was what she wanted now. She could do the talking, she could make the decisions for him.

"I'm sorry," he finally murmured, holding her gaze, "The airport...

She connected their mouths yet again, instant surprise overtaking him as she cut him off. Only this time the look in his eyes harbored something else, something that she had been hoping for.

__Now he wants it. Just like I knew he would.__

She knew this was the one thing she had over Krystal at the moment and she planned on using it to its full effect. She could kiss and love on Fox, she could use his body and lust to control how he felt towards her, Krystal could not. And never would if things went as planned.

"I understand," she answered, pulling away only an inch, "I'm just glad you're okay."

He held her gaze, this time confusion taking over his thoughts as he tried to determine what emotion would be acceptable to feel as his heart battled the lust and adrenaline that had built up inside him.

"Then...then why...they slap?" he finally murmured, still looking into her fierce eyes.

She smirked and rested her temple on his forehead, "That was for scaring me." she finished by running her paws up his body and to his face, forcing his muzzle to meet her own as she issued soft kisses across his face and neck.

"I love you too much to lose you." she added, feeling the vulpine stiffen somewhat as the words sank in.

__Game.__

She reinforced her statement by returning to his mouth and pulling him into another kiss, allowing her hands to fall back down to his waist where they made their way behind his shirt and up his chest, even going so far as to slowly and seductively grind her waist against his own, immediately feeling the growl of excitement start up in the vulpine's chest.

__Set.__

"I...I love you too," he said softly, ignoring his heart that was screaming at him in objection to everything he was doing. Yet the vulpine continued to push it away, allowing his body to take over his thoughts, only telling himself the one obvious ending to all of this, the ending he never really wanted. The ending that stated; Fara still loves him and he blew his chances with Krystal, who may have never loved him anyways. And in the end he had might as well have someone in his life rather than no one.

__Match.__

The fennec fox slowly pulled away from the kiss, knowing she had finally cemented her place in the vulpine's life. There was no turning back now. If he tried to run back to Krystal she wouldn't take him, not after this.

__I told you he was mine. You were way out of your league Cerenian.__

000


	15. Flawless Acting

000

Author's Note: Start off by saying, yes I know I am spelling Cerenian wrong, its actually Cerinia. But I didn't catch this after the first few chapters, and apparently no one else bothered to call me on it, so I kept going with it. So lets just ignore that.\

000

Hardly an hour had passed since the confrontation on the pier and neither fox had moved more than a few feet. The vixen had pulled him up onto the table and, under the shade of the umbrella and the cool breeze coming off the sea, snuggled up next to him. She knew the physical damage was done, that she had Fox's body once again. But she didn't just want his body, she wanted his heart, his mind, everything he had to offer. She wanted to have him under her control, to keep him from ever thinking about Krystal again, and she would...soon.

She ran her paw down his torso, drawing unseen pictures in his fur with her finger as she still softly kissed him in every place she could find. She knew he was enjoying it, enjoying the feeling of lust and having someone, anyone there to hold him and be with him. That's what he was afraid of and she knew it. He didn't want to be alone, not anymore. He wanted either her or Krystal and couldn't decide, but that was okay, that fennec fox had decided for him. He would get her, all of her, and she would get all of him, and Krystal, that bitch, she would get nothing. Nothing but pain and sorrow as she watched the two of them live happily ever after.

"Fox..." she finally whispered, placing her paw on the side of his face and holding his still somewhat regret filled gaze. "Fox, I love you."

She felt him stiffen once more, this time much less than before but still evident, yet the vulpine covered it up by pulling her closer and resting his forehead against her own.

"I...I love you too."

Fara hated the hesitation in his voice, the uncertainty and regret that was still far too obvious. She was still learning just how far Krystal had gotten, how much damage that bitch had done to her vulpine. It was thanks to her that she'd have to work so hard to fix him, to get him back to the way he used to be, to make him give up on that Cerenian forever.

"But...we have to talk," she went on, adding a little bit of faked regret to her tone.

"About what?"

__Time to put the finishing touches on.__

She let her paws fall to his shoulders, pushing him back a few inches and looking at him, a well acted look of hurt and pain on her face as she replied, "Fox, I love being with you, and I enjoy being with the old team again. Falco, Peppy, Slippy, they're all great. But...that vixen, Krystal..."

His eyes widened just enough to express the worry and fear resting inside of them, having guessed that this could have ended up happening from the start. Fara knew he didn't want to have this conversation, but it was inevitable, it had been ever since he saved her life. Had he known this would have been his punishment Fara figured he would have let her fall to her death.

"She's just my friend," he retorted, knowing that it wasn't true. She could tell he was lying, that it went much farther than simply being 'friends' but she didn't press it. She didn't have to. He knew as well as she did that no one would believe him.

"Fox...this morning..."

"That was my fault," he stated, stopping her once again, "I got drunk last night and...

"Fox...

"It was a mistake I...

"Fox you don't understand."

He stopped and looked into her gaze, her pleading tone and faked expression of pain telling him that she knew something he didn't.

__This is for putting him through all of this. I told you he'd be mine and now I'm going to make sure of it. I don't have to convince him of anything, I've just got to put the doubt in his mind.__

"I __know__ what happened last night but its not what you think," she continued, a concerned expression on her face.

"W-What do you mean? I remember it...

"You honestly think you got drunk and came back to the room and tried to sleep with her don't you?"

There was pause as she let the words sink in, the vulpine instantly feeling a sick feeling rise in his stomach as he realized Fara knew about it. "But...I did...

"No," she whispered, her eyes begging him to believe her, "You didn't. Fox this morning I found you on the bed like that. I know what really happened."

The confused and worrisome look on his face remained and the fennec fox knew she had him right where she wanted. "That's why me and her got into it, that's why I've got this," she finished by raising her left hand and pointing to the cuts in her arm from where Krystal had freed herself from her choke hold.

"She came in and found me and tried to make up some story, but I knew what had happened, I know what Cerenian's are capable of, and when she found out she attacked me."

His gaze showed disbelief, as Fara had expected. She knew he wouldn't want to believe anything negative about Krystal, but that would soon change, she had him right where she wanted him. Right now he was stunned and vulnerable and anyone could get under his skin and into his heart, a position that most people would try to hide. But Fara saw this as an opportunity and wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of it, and him.

"No...it cant...

The brown vixen continued her ruse, placing a paw on each side of his head, "It never happened," she murmured gently, "She only made you think that it did. Yes you got drunk but that's all. She only made you think that you tried to rape her."

She could tell that the vulpine was falling apart now, his heart and mind trying to decipher all of this, to determine its value and decide whether or not if it was true or just a lie. But Fara knew she had him. She was inside his thoughts now, inside his mind. Anything she said, anything she did, he would believe, he would follow. The look on his face was still one of confusion and uncertainty but he couldn't force any words to come forth other than two.

"But why?"

__Perfect. Ask why, don't fight me.__

She knew she had a chance to end it there, and she did. The vulpine didn't defend Krystal, he didn't argue against what Fara had said or claim that Krystal wouldn't do something like that. No. He only asked why. Which meant he believed what Fara was telling him, he doubted himself, and he doubted that blue bitch.

"She hates me," the brown vixen answered, forcing a look of sadness, "She said she'd do whatever it takes to get me out of the picture. But Fox, I cant let her have you. I cant let her continue to control you and play with your mind like that. I love you too much."

Fake tears had made their way down her cheeks as she buried her face in his chest, holding onto him tightly and allowing a satisfied feeling to overtake her as she felt his arms tighten around her waist.

"I want you to be happy Fox, I want what's best for you. I love you too much to just sit back and let her continue doing this to you."

She knew it was a lot for him to process, being told that someone he probably trusted with his life was nowhere near who he thought they were, that they had been deceiving him all this time, playing with his mind. But Fara hadn't the slightest doubt in her own mind that she couldn't get to him, to turn him against the sapphire fox, and she would, no matter how long it took.

"But that...that's not how...that's not the Krystal...

__Still doubtful? Fine. I've got more than one move I can make.__

"Please Fox," she whispered, cutting off his protest and trying to sound as desperate and concerned as ever. "You have got to believe me, please...listen. These memories you have, they are no trouble for a Cerenian to create. She can make you think and do anything that she wants, and she has been, all this time."

"No...it...

__And now the romantic memory...__

"Do you not remember back on the ship the other night, when we walked down to hanger and I fell asleep in your arms? When you carried me back up to your room and kissed me goodnight?"

The look on Fara's face showed nothing but complete and utter truth, opposite of the sick, despair filled look that the vulpine wore. She knew he was searching frantically through his mind for the made up memory, possibly imagining that he might recall it but knowing that his mind harbored no such thing. Of course it never happened, that was the beauty of the lie, as it worked so well into what she was saying.

"Please Fox...remember! I couldn't sleep so I went into the kitchen for something to drink. You were on the couch and I woke you. You asked me if I wanted to walk down to the hanger and talk, that maybe it would help me get to sleep. Please...do you not remember any of this?"

__Of course you don't. You might imagine it, but all you'll ever remember from now on is that Krystal erased it.__

"I...I...

It somewhat pained the vixen to see the look of sickness and despair on his face but she knew that in the end it would be worth it. In order to get Fox to love her she first had to crush everything inside him that held onto that bitch. If that meant lying to him then so be it, whatever it took to turn him against her.

She felt his hands shaking and instantly he released her, rolling off the table and running to the side of the pier, gasping for breath as his body threatened to convulse all of this life shattering news.

__She got further into him than I thought. I'll have to take Fox to a whole new level in order to get rid of her altogether, both physically and mentally.__

Her acting didn't slip at all, the tears still silently falling down her face as she stood by his side, holding onto his arm as he looked down into the water and tried to rationalize his crumbling world. She had shaken him to the core, the acting and lies leaving little doubt behind them as he heard more and more.

"All this time..." he finally whispered, closing his eyes and fighting back the sick feeling in his stomach.

"Please Fox, believe what I'm telling you." she begged him, reaching forward and turning his face to meet her own, "Why would I ever lie to you about something like this?"

000

**_**These memories you have, they are no trouble for a Cerenian to create. She can make you think and do anything that she wants, and she has been, all this time.**_**

The water continued to slosh up against the wooden support beams below the pier but the vulpine hardly noticed, his whole world currently falling apart as he tried to decide whether or not Fara was right or wrong. Every fiber in his being wanted to believe she was wrong, that what she said about Krystal was made up, that all this time the memories that he had shared with the blue vixen were real and true, not made up for her personal gain.

But Fara, she was crying, holding onto him, begging the vulpine to believe what she was saying, admitting she loved him more than life itself and that she wanted to stop all of the pain and suffering that Krystal had put him through. But was she right?

__Those memories, they all seem so real, so lifelike. I remember everything perfectly, regardless of whether or not I was drunk. But that night with Fara on the ship, if it happened surely I'd know. Surely something like that, carrying her up to her room, kissing her goodnight, surely I would remember it.__

**_**Please...do you not remember any of this?**_**

He couldn't decide whether to believe anything at all at this point. He had been so madly in love with Krystal this whole time and now Fara is telling him that she has been controlling his thoughts, playing with his memories in order to make him do as she wanted. Deep down inside there was a part of him that didn't want to believe this was true, but Fara, the way she was holding onto him, kissing him and crying for him...how...why would she make this up?

__She cant be lying, not about something this big. But...I just don't want to believe it! Krystal isn't like that! I know her!__

"Fox," Fara whispered, holding onto his side, "Do you not see Krystal the way we do? Do you not see how she really is? Do you only see what she allows your mind to see?"

Yet again Fara had dropped another bombshell on him, destroying another pocket of resistance inside of him that wanted to believe none of this was true. It seemed that no matter which way he turned Fara had an answer for him, something to tell the vulpine that would reinforce her overall story.

"She's controlling your thoughts Fox, please, you've got to believe me!"

The vulpine swallowed the bile in his throat and gripped the wooden hand rail even harder, his own tears now falling into the sea. He did not ever want to believe any of this, he wanted to forget that it had ever happened, that Fara had ever shown up, that he had messed things up with Krystal. Even if she WAS controlling his thoughts he wouldn't have cared, he was happy before this, just happy thinking that there was a chance they could be together, that he could tell her how he felt.

But now after all the damage he'd done, after everything that Fara had told him, begging him to believe her with the most caring and desperate look on her face that he'd ever seen, now he knew that he'd never be with the sapphire beauty. He didn't know if Fara was telling the truth or not, but at this point it didn't matter, the damage was done and the evidence was there to support it.

__If I ever had a chance with her, if ever there was possibility that she'd love me back, its gone. She doesn't love me, but I'll always love her, fake or not.__

"Fara..."

He slowly turned and looked at her after muttering the name, suddenly realizing that out of all of this, out of everyone and everything involved in it, that he could now only find one single source of comfort in it all.

The fennec fox was still holding onto his arm, looking up and meeting his gaze, his expression basically void of all hope. For a moment he just looked into her eyes, wanting to weigh his options, to think of some way to salvage his well-being after all of this but knowing it was hopeless. After hearing this, everything that Fara had told him, everything that had happened the day before and the earlier morning. After all of it the vulpine's heart seemed to just stop trying, deciding that Fara was the only one who'd take him at this point, so he'd let her.

He turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her neck and holding her close, taking a deep shaky breath as he imagined the next few days and all that would end up happening during them.

__I don't know what to believe anymore. After this, I just don't know. Maybe Fara is right, maybe everything with her was just in my head, not real at all. But it doesn't matter, not now. I never would have gotten her anyway.__

The fennec fox returned the embrace, holding the emotionally wrecked vulpine as he found what little comfort he could in her. The loss of his mother, the death of his father, neither of those events had hurt him as bad as this. No, this was a new kind of pain and the vulpine was left with it, only sure of one thing now.

There would be much more to come.

000


	16. One Last Effort

000

She overlooked the room one last time, wondering why she had felt the need to straighten everything up in the first place. The hotel had housekeeping, they would come in and replace everything that had been used, clean every mess that had been made, but the vixen knew no matter how spotless the room appeared to them they'd never see the true mess that was scattered across it. They wouldn't notice the tears that had fallen to the floor or the blood that had dripped from Fara's arm and faded into the dark blue carpet, they wouldn't notice the painful memories that the room would harbor for the rest of its existence.

They would only see another room, its only inhabitant a heartbroken vixen who sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes brimming with tears that quietly slid down her face as she thought about him.

__I know he's with her. He found her, she found him, it doesn't matter, they're together.__

It was pointless to try and ignore the thoughts that swarmed her mind, the awful memories that continued to replay over and over reminding her of everything that had went wrong, of every bad turn and bad decision they had made. Nothing had went as planned, in fact, it had all went more horribly wrong that she had ever thought possible. Fara not joining the two of the them on their initial journey to Corneria had been taken as an opportunity to close the gap that resided between her and Fox, to get closer to him than ever before while she still had the chance.

But it didn't go that way. Even without Fara joining them she still managed to manipulate Fox's actions, preventing him from getting too close and ruining their first attempt. It was now, after everything had gone to hell, that the blue fox wondered if things would have been better off had Fara joined them from the start rather than remain on GreatFox.

She clenched her fists and fell back down on the bed, not sure if she should be angry at herself, Fox, or Fara for allowing all of this happen. To her there was no explaining it. How all of this had went down, how everything just seemed to get worse and worse every time she tried to make it better, it had to have been a sign telling them all that the sapphire vixen and him weren't meant to be together.

__All I wanted was for him to tell me how he felt. This whole time, that's all I wanted to hear. I was so sure he loved me, so sure that those thoughts and feelings that I had been picking up off him were for me. But what Fara said...if this whole time she has been talking with him...maybe those feelings were for her...maybe he doesn't love me.__

The possibility was soul crushing but at this point she'd suffer the pain just to know the answer to the question. It had felt so real, every time she had been around him, every time she smiled at him, spoke to him, touched him, the feelings he gave off, the thoughts that ran through his mind, they had seemed too real. She had been so sure that he felt the same way towards her as she did him. But now after all that had happened, after all that Fara had said, and after whatever it was she was doing with him right now, Krystal knew those feelings wouldn't last. Not unless she took one last chance.

__What can I say though? What else is there I can do? Fara has him right where she wants him, she's manipulated the playing field to favor her side so much so that I don't have a chance.__

The small part of the blue vixen that still wanted to put up a fight, that still wanted to mount a final assault on Fara's conquest for the vulpine's heart, was still very much overwhelmed with doubt and a sense of pointlessness. It wasn't what Fara had done that put that sick feeling in her stomach so much as she feared that most of this was Fox's choice, that he hadn't needed the influence from Fara to say what he'd said, and would say. Now, after all of this he might not ever treat her the same way.

__So what is the plan? Just sit here and cry about it or try to talk to him?__

She knew he'd be back soon, probably not for long, just long enough to get his stuff and leave. Fara would probably be with him, standing behind him, her unseen hand holding the strings above her puppet as he finally said the words out loud that would utterly crush the sapphire fox's heart once and for all. He'd probably tell her to leave StarFox, to return to drifting through space without a home planet to go to, perhaps he'd suggest she run to StarWolf so she'd have a place to stay, maybe to ease the guilt that would be weighing on his conscious for the rest of his life.

__Yeah...that's probably what will happen. He'll replace me with Fara, that much is obvious. We both cant stay on GreatFox, it would never last. One of us would end up killing the other.__

Realizing that she was already selling herself out the vixen sat up and shook her head, still determined to hang on to the slim possibility that something might change. She didn't __know __that Fox had went to Fara after leaving the room, though it was probable that the fennec fox had found him. Even so she had no idea what had went down between the two, maybe Fox was angry at her, maybe he would side with Krystal and tell Fara what she did was wrong.

__No, that wont happen either. I never told Fox what happened last night. If Fara has finds him before I do, if she gets to tell her side of the story first there will be an entirely different ending to all of this.__

A sense of urgency flooded the sapphire vixen as she realized this. After he had woken she only managed to say a few words to him before he left, obviously guilt stricken and sorry for what he remembered doing the night before. But she hadn't gotten to tell him all that had happened, why she did what she did. Yet Fara knew, she had seen it, and if she found Fox first she would turn things around, she would make Krystal out to be the antagonist in all of this.

The Cerenian had no doubt in her mind that Fara would deceive Fox time and time again, over and over telling him whatever she wanted to in order to win his opinion of her, and destroy his opinion of Krystal. To destroy his feelings towards her, to hate her, despise her, to never trust her again.

Her feet hit the floor as she slid off the bed, a sick nervous feeling taking over her gut as she realized she had to find Fox before Fara did. She made her way out the door and down the hall towards the elevator, allowing her mind to subconsciously stretch out as far as it could in order to search for the vulpine's familiar thought pattern. She had it down to an art by now and even amongst all the pedestrians on the street and in the stores surrounding them she managed to feel its familiar tug.

__He's close, very close. I can feel him just outside and...__

Her thoughts instantly went black and she shook her mind free, knowing all too well the pain that she'd feel if she tried to delve into the thoughts of that mind's owner. Fara was with him. Close by, but not right on top of him. Maybe following him a few yards behind.

__Damnit...has she already spoken to him or is she just waiting? What's the point though? Why...__

Then it hit her. She wanted to be there, waiting nearby when it happened, when Fox talked to her. It was then that the vixen knew the two of them had already met, that Fara had done the damage and was now just waiting in the shadows so she could watch the finale take place. She wasn't stalking Fox she was merely hiding behind so the vixen wouldn't notice her in the background.

__She wants to be there to intervene if needed. Whatever she said to him I know its bad, its really bad. I can tell from here, just barely looking into his thoughts I can tell. He's never felt like this before. Never has he been so emotionally wrecked, he's hurting so bad, and I fear I know why.__

__What did she tell him though...__

She wanted to be alone with him just one more time, to have one more shot at fixing things with him. It would play out one of two ways and she knew that, but rather than being shot in the back she wanted to at least put up one last stand of her own, she had to try, she had to try and win him back one more time.

__But to get him alone...I'm running out of time, I'm...__

The elevator in front of her finally opened up and somehow her mind came up with one last ditch effort idea to salvage all she had left in her life. She only had one chance at this, but she knew if she timed it right and if luck was on her side just one final time, she'd at least have a chance to say something to him alone.

She stepped inside the elevator and looked at the array of numbers running from Lobby to 13. Their room was on the 3rd floor, every floor hosting a hundred rooms and their room number being 372. She quickly hit the 2nd floor button, grateful that the doors closed and the elevator went down rather than up. Seconds later it hit the second floor and she stepped out, looking both ways and once again grateful that she was the only one present.

__Now, I've got to find him...__

Her mind immediately locked onto the vulpine and she could almost feel him right beneath her, nearing the elevators. She let her mind slip back a bit further and felt the slightest burning pain in her forehead telling her that Fara was still following behind him.

__But not that close. Maybe, just maybe she wont get into the same one...__

Letting her mind continue to range around she felt the knot in her stomach tighten as a few other presences crossed in front of the vulpine's, pausing for only a second before continuing out the door and into the street. The vulpine was now right below her, facing the same two elevator shafts as she was and waiting for one or the other to open up. Fara was still behind him ten or so yards and the blue vixen was begging the gods to keep her away, to keep __everyone__away so that Fox was the only one who came up in the elevator.

She felt him step forward, her mind tightening its focus on the small square area as she scanned it for any signs of life other than the vulpine's. It was either luck, her prayers, or the fact that it was the middle of the afternoon that played in her favor as she sensed only the sole presence of Fox in the elevator, his despair filled thoughts all too easy to lock on to.

__But where's Fara...__

Her mind timidly crept back a few feet and she could sense the fennec fox's dark thoughts just outside the elevator. Krystal waited as she felt both Fara and Fox's presences stand still, as if talking, and she could imagine the vulpine putting his arm across the door as it attempted to close. But Fara never moved, her presence still remaining directly below the sapphire vixen's as they both stood outside the elevator doors. Finally her ears perked forward, catching the sound of the cables in front of her as they begin to turn. Without hesitating she hit the 'up' button and, after quickly determining which one the vulpine was in, stepped forward and hid between the two doors.

Only a couple of seconds passed until she heard the familiar 'ding' that accompanied the elevator's arrival, and with it came a nerve wrecking heartbeat as she realized that this was probably the last opportunity she would ever have. The doors slid apart and she knew he was behind them, she could so easily sense the pitiful aura that seemed to overwhelm his entire being.

__This is it. Whatever Fara told him, whatever she has planned, this is my last chance to talk him out of it. This is my last chance to tell him how I feel.__

She stepped around the corner, instantly locking her gaze onto his as she stepped inside, the expression on his face nothing short of both surprise and sickness as he realized his time had been cut even shorter.

"K-Krystal, you...

She gently smiled at him, turning and pressing the '3' on the elevator pad and nodding at the vulpine.

"Fox."

She felt the elevator lurch upward and found herself grateful that there was a large distance between each floor of the hotel. Her eyes ran down the row of buttons until it rested on the bottom one which was surrounded by a red ring and read 'Emergency Stop'

__I hope this works...__

A second later her hand fell against it and as designed the cables instantly came to halt. But she didn't stop there. She let her mind drift into the keyhole below that same button, the function that allowed officials to override the stop. Using powers she had mastered long ago as a Cerenian she turned the lock backwards, a function that wasn't meant to be utilized by anyone. This caused the entire panel of lights to go out, including the ones above them, putting both foxes in the dark for only a second before a small flood light hidden in the corner kicked on.

__There...I've gotten this far, I've managed to do all of this, now I've got my chance.__

She looked up at him, his look still showing signs of surprise but slowly fading to that of hurt suspicion.

"You did that didn't you?" he finally asked, holding her gaze, a look of anger distant in his eyes. "You did that with your powers right?"

She stepped forward and matched his gaze, not expecting this anger from him.

"Yes, but...

"And what else have you been doing with them?" he asked, almost yelling at her, his eyes betraying both despair and fury.

__What does he mean? He's known all along I can do stuff like this, why is he acting so upset now? Unless...__

Fara.

000

"I love you,"

"I love you too."

The response was still wary, it housed that regret and pain that he couldn't hide no matter how hard he tried and it continued to annoy her. Despite her efforts within the last hour she had still yet to get 'all' of him, but the progress that she __had __made was more than enough. He was hers now, she'd have no trouble controlling him, just so long as she was by his side from now on.

__He cant make his decisions on his own so I shall do it for him. I'll tell him what to say to her, what to do to her, how much to hurt her first before finally ending it all. Of course...I'll give him a chance on his own, I want to test my progress, to see how far he can get before I have to step in. I'll stay at a distance, let him meet her first and try his hand at things before I crush that blue bitch once and for all.__

The elevator doors closed in front of her and she watched her vulpine disappear behind them, the forced smile on his face more than enough to bring pleasure to the fennec fox. She didn't care at all that he was emotionally wrecked, that she had destroyed everything about the Fox McCloud that existed after his escapade on Sauria. That was, after all, the plan. Basically a system restore that would take him back to the day before he ever met that sapphire slut and keep him there. If it took a little mindfucking then so be it, she'd do whatever was needed. If it came to torture she'd do it, if she had to shock the thought of Krystal out of his memory then it could happen, the technology existed, and she would stop at absolutely nothing to have it her way, to have him the way she wanted.

__Perhaps afterward I'll kill her myself. I'd be doing her a favor. Without Fox to leech off of she'll have nowhere to go, nowhere to live, no one to fall in love with only to get rejected. I almost feel sorry for her...haha.__

By now she figured that he had reached the third floor and hit the button again, expecting the elevator to return within a few seconds. However the upward pointing arrow merely flashed red, a feature that pointed out something was obviously wrong. About that same time the voice of the receptionist caught her attention and she turned to see the cat on the phone.

"no I'm not sure sir...no...all we know is that its stopped between the second and third floor and that the power has gone out...uh huh...yes...yes...the maintenance crew is on their way...uh...probably an hour or so...well...well...sir please...the company who owns the elevator has their own crew sir...from Terria...but sir their services are free...oh...well...glad you agree now sir...yes...yes sir...thank you sir...have a good day."

By now Fara was in front of the desk and no sooner had the phone the table did she speak up.

"What's wrong with the elevator?" she asked, surprising the cat who slowly recognized her from earlier.

"Oh I remember you, you're the wife of our McCloud tenet who was promoted to major!"

"Yeah that's me," Fara answered, remembering her ruse from earlier, "So what was that about the elevator? My husband was on that one."

"Oh I'm terribly sorry!" the cat replied, sincere regret in her voice, "We don't know what caused that, but I bet its electrical." she added, showing her very limited knowledge of mechanics.

__You don't say...__

"And you said an hour?" the fennec fox asked, gritting her teeth as her mind already began to imagine what had happened.

"Yes" the receptionist replied sadly, "I'm sorry ma'am I really am! I know you and your husband were celebrating but who knows, maybe he got off on the second floor, you should try checking his room just in case. And for your troubles I'll send up room service, compliments of the Garan. I know its not much but..."

"Yeah whatever," the vixen interrupted, not caring in the least anymore as she headed towards the stairwell. She knew he hadn't gotten off, that he wasn't in the room, and that Krystal, that bitch was probably behind all of this.

__You really are THAT desperate aren't you? Well fine, props for thinking this one up but it wont matter. I've done too much damage, I've wrecked him and his opinion of you. He'll never believe anything you say, so just try. Just try to win him back. I only wish I could be there to watch you fail.__

000


	17. Fara's Lies At Work

000

"I-I don't understand."

The foxes held each others gaze, ones eyes filled with confusion and love, the others housing pain and distrust. The vixen had made it this far, she had somehow found one last chance to talk to him alone but something wasn't right. Something was different about him. He had never looked at her this way before, his eyes had never shown such feelings towards the sapphire fox, and she could easily guess as to who was behind it all.

"Just read my mind then, its much easier that way." he replied, anger still clearly evident in his tone.

"What...what do you mean Fox?"

She forced herself to hold his gaze, to straighten her stance and face him without fear. It wasn't him she was afraid of anymore, it was whatever part of Fara that resided within him. Even now as she looked into his mind she could feel the fennec fox's overwhelming presence, almost as if she was another personality of Fox.

__What has she done to him? This isn't the Fox from before, he's changed so much so quickly.__

She then realized just how ragged the vulpine looked; his hair was hardly settled, his ears drooped, his eyes showed exhaustion and desperation. At this point she realized the true victim in all of this. It wasn't herself, even though it sure felt like it, but instead it was Fox. Both vixens had put him through enough emotional turmoil the past few days to last him a lifetime and somehow Fara had taken all of that, made it so much worse, and placed the blame on Krystal.

He held her gaze for a moment, not knowing what to say anymore, only what to repeat what Fara had told him. It didn't feel right but it was what he had to say, it was the only way to end all of this and to get his life back on track. According to Fara...

"All this time," he muttered, a look of disgust residing in his expression, "you've been manipulating me."

"Fox I...

"Ever since I saved your life," he yelled, turning away from her and placing his hands on his head, "You've been controlling me."

__Is that what you think? That I can make you love me? That I can tell you what to do?__

She timidly reached forward and placed her paw on his shoulder, the vulpine instantly jerking away and turning to face her again.

"How have I been controlling you Fox?" she whispered, her tone soft and and unwavering.

"Your powers," he replied, pausing for a few seconds before letting out a growl of frustration, "Who...who are you really?"

The question felt like a knife in her heart, the vixen getting another slap in the face as she realized just how much damage that Fara had inflicted.

"You know who I am Fox." she answered, holding his gaze and trying not to wince at the disbelief in his eyes.

__Just what did she do to you...__

"No," he retorted coldly, "I know what you are, that's all."

"Fox...what...

"Cerenian."

She froze, amazed at how similar his tone was to that of Fara's when he uttered the word.

"Is that it?" she finally asked, "Are you too ashamed to be seen with a Cerenian?"

The vulpine scoffed and looked away, adding that much more heartache to the vixen.

"You're not the Krystal I know," he continued, sadness lingering on the edge of his voice as he allowed Fara's words to speak for him, "You're just another Cerenian, using your powers to get what you want no matter how much it hurts everyone...

He never finished his sentence, the vixen's right hand landing across his face and causing him to fall against the back wall of the elevator. She didn't give him a chance to recoil though, instantly stepping forward and grabbing him by the shoulders, anger and disbelief now residing in hereyes.

"So that's it?" she asked in a demanding tone, "You cant trust me because I'm a Cerenian? You think I'm out to fuck with your and everyone elses mind to get whatever I please?"

He looked up at her and for a moment she thought that he would take back what he had said, but out of nowhere his mind changed direction and the vixen could almost see Fara standing behind the vulpine, telling him what to do and say.

His paws grabbed her own and he pushed her across the elevator, pinning her arms above her head and meeting her gaze with the darkest of looks.

"I don't think," he answered coldly, "I know."

"Then you know nothing."

"Fara told me about your people," he continued, ignoring her attempts to breach free of his grasp, "She told me how they act, how they have always deceived others to get what they want, how they play with someone's mind for the fun of it."

Anger had almost taken over both of them but hers wasn't directed at the vulpine that held her against the wall, no it was towards that bitch. She had done this, she had exaggerated the lives of her people and only told Fox of those select few Cerenian's who chose a life of evil rather than good. The ones who had managed to find a way around the sickness that came from exploiting ones powers. This was all the vulpine seen in her, only the corruption and darkness that Fara had bestowed in her.

"We are NOT all like that." she replied angrily, baring her fangs at the vulpine, still surprised how bad things had managed to go in such a short time.

The pressure on her wrists grew stronger as he held her even tighter against the wall, the look in his eyes reflecting the ire that overwhelmed them both.

__All I see is Fara, this isn't the Fox I know. If I could just talk to him again, the old Fox, the one that loved me.__

Her rational thought wanted to make it happen but she knew the only way to make that happen would be to fight the vulpine before her, and fennec fox that controlled him. But how? How could she fight something inside him? Something that had decimated the vulpine to the point of collapse and insanity.

"All Cerenians are like that," he continued, ignoring her comment, "After thousands of years of it karma finally caught up with them though."

The look on his face betrayed the one in his eyes and she knew the real Fox McCloud would have never said such a thing, but it didn't matter at this point. No sooner had the words left his mouth did the vixen cease her struggling for a brief second, closing her eyes and clenching her fists in an attempt to contain the fury that she felt. But he...no...she...Fara had gone to far. To have manipulated him to the point where he'd say something like that, the vixen knew she could never forgive her. She could never allow someone like her to have Fox, no matter what.

Her hands broke free of the vulpine's grasp, instantly falling to his shoulders where she pushed his arms behind his back and threw him to the ground, falling on top of him as he landed in one of the corners.

"What happened to you!?" she demanded, her voice crying in desperation as she sat on top of him, her paws resting on his shoulders. "What happened to the Fox McCloud I used to know?"

"He finally figured out what's been happening all this time!" he yelled back, struggling to break free. "I only wish that Fara could have told me sooner!"

He managed to get his right arm free but she grabbed it and held it against the floor, her attempts to keep him pinned down becoming more useless by the second.

"Fara is lying to you Fox!" she yelled back, "Did you ever think of that?"

"YOU are lying to me!" he answered, breaking his other arm free and throwing himself forward, pinning her on her back now, "You've been doing so ever since I let you join the team!"

"When have I lied to you!?" she yelled back, looking up at his anger filled gaze and ignoring the harsh look it harbored. "When have I ever lied to you Fox!? Tell me that!"

She waited for him to respond, just knowing that there was an answer to the question in his mind that Fara had planted in there. But this time he couldn't reply, he couldn't answer the vixen's question and his expression finally softened as she watched him search his mind for a true occasion in which she had lied to him.

"You haven't lied to me," he finally muttered, his tone still harsh but softer, "I'll admit that. You've just tricked me, you've used your powers to control me, to control my thoughts, to make me say and do things that you want."

The vixen shook her head, "No Fox," she answered softly, "Cerenians have never been able to do that."

The feelings coming from the vulpine dramatically changed as the words left her mouth. He held her gaze a moment more, his eyes trying to decide whether or not to believe her. Finally he fell back against the wall, allowing the vixen to to sit up and face him.

__Is that it? Was that all I needed to say?__

"I don't believe you," he finally replied, causing a another stab of pain to enter her heart. "Fara told me...

"Fox..." she murmured, "I'm a telepath. I can read minds but I cant tell them what to do. Your will is your own, just like everyone elses. You choose what you do and who to believe."

They caught each others gaze again, this time anger missing in both their expressions, but the sick feeling that resided within the vulpine was overwhelming. She could tell he was trying to pick a side, that in his heart right now he was fighting the hardest battle of his life. Who to believe; Fara or Krystal? One of them claimed the other had been lying to him all this time, and the other claimed it was impossible, and that he had to decide whether or not to believe if something was true, not someone else.

__Please Fox, realize how much I love you, that I would never hurt you the way she has...__

Finally he shook his head, bowing it and looking at the floor, "I don't know what to believe anymore," he muttered, signs of the old Fox once again revealing themselves, proving that she had managed to get the vulpine to believe __some__of what she had said.

"Fox I would never do anything to hurt you. After all you have done for me why would I do such a thing? Even if I could, why would I do it? What would I get from it?"

He waited for a few more seconds, his mind and heart exhausted, confused, and emotionally annihilated from everything he had been put through. But logic made its way through one last time. His mind answered the question, not based on what Fara had told him, but from common sense.

Even if she could do it, why would she? What would she get from it?"

"Me," he answered quietly, "You'd get me."

She leaned forward and crawled over to him, her paws on each side of his legs as she got face to face with him before whispering, "That's not the way I want it though," the vulpine looking up and meeting her gaze, their muzzles only a foot apart as she continued, "No tricks, no lies, no mind control. I cant do any of that to you, and I never will."

He held her gaze, his heart and mind racing, Fara's words and actions clawing and slapping at the vulpine as he struggled to think straight, to act the way she had programmed him to act. But something had gotten through to him, something that told him she was wrong all along, that the beautiful sapphire vixen before him would never do any of those things.

"I just want you to love me the same way I love you," she finished, her eyes pleading, begging him to believe.

__Please Fox...__

This was it, this was the closest they'd ever get again if she failed, he had to believe her, he had to trust what she said over all of Fara's lies. If not then she'd lose him forever.

"Y-You...you love me?" he finally asked softly, not wanting to clarify the answer only wanting to hear it.

"Fox," she replied, the smallest of smiles on her face, "I have always loved you."

Taking matters into her own paws she closed the gap between them, putting herself in the opposite position as the night before when the vulpine came back to the room drunk. But this time it was different, this time everything she had ever dreamed of was riding on the kiss. She had nothing without the vulpine in her life. He was her entire world now. With Cerenia destroyed she had no home to go to, no family to lean on, no friends to support her. All she had was Fox, and she had to try one last time to win him over.

000


	18. Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands

000

"You have 20 minutes to get here." she finished, closing the cell phone and returning her attention to the hotel's first floor.

An hour proved to be much longer than she would ever be willing to wait. The longer the fennec fox stood in the lobby beside the elevators the more doubtful her thoughts became and the more willing she was to take matters into her own hands.

__I was an idiot letting him go alone! What was I thinking? Without me there he'll give in. I didn't have enough time with him, I didn't expect something like this to happen.__

She knew she had done significant damage to him, that she had wrecked his opinion of Krystal and put a new perception in its place. But she also knew it hadn't been enough. She had planned on being behind him when he crushed that sapphire bitch's whole world, to make sure he said the right things and left nothing to chance. But for something like this to happen, she knew that an hour alone with him would be more than enough time for the Cerenian to get to him.

__She had gotten into him deep, very deep, and I had only touched on getting her out of his system for good. But without me there with him, without me to put the words in his mouth he'll give in again. He'll fall for her tricks. But this time she knows she cant hold anything back, this time she knows she'll have to go all the way. This is her last chance, and I don't plan on letting her succeed.__

The hate and irritation that resided just below the vixen's surface was overwhelming and it took every bit of self control to hold herself together. This whole time she had been fighting that cerulean bitch and at first she might have seen it as a cute little game, but now she realized the seriousness of the it all. Neither of them was willing to quit, and neither would as long as they were still breathing.

__I will remedy that. If she thinks there's a chance in hell she'll win this fight then she's in for a big surprise.__

Another few seconds passed and the rage building up inside the fennec fox continued grow as she pictured the two of them alone in the elevator, the blue vixen slowly picking away at the deceptions that Fara had planted in his mind. She knew had she been given more than just a few hours with him that Fox would have been able to hold his own, to have refused anything that the Cerenian said to him and believe only what Fara had told him to.

__But I didn't have that much time, and that bitch is too crafty. She'll undo everything in a matter of minutes.__

Thinking of time she looked up at the clock on the wall, narrowing a dark gaze at it after realizing only ten minutes had passed since all this had been set in motion.

__No. I've worked too hard to get this far and I'm not about to lose him, not to that pathetic Cerenian slut! Her stupid little plan WILL fail. If she thinks that this would stop me then she's in for a surprise.__

She uncrossed her arms and slid around the corner, bounding up the stairs until she reached the third floor. She wouldn't wait, not any more. She was more than capable of taking matters into her own hands at this point. She looked down the deserted hallway until she saw what she was looking for, reaching the door and attempting to open it, not surprised to find it locked. Without hesitation she stepped back and, with amazing strength, kicked open the entrance to the maintenance room. Looking around for a brief moment she finally found something that would work.

"I cant wait. If I don't get to him soon then she will...

She had no doubts about what she was doing anymore. The sole objective was still the same as it was since she arrived those few days ago. Get Fox.

She turned and made her way down to the elevator doors, taking a deep breath before reaching back and jamming the crowbar between the slot in the middle. After a few seconds of prying she finally forced the doors open a few inches, allowing her to lean in and use her legs to push the doors open in one direction and her back the other. Eventually they were open enough for her to slide through. Still holding them open she looked down into the dimly lit passage, her trained eyes adjusting to the dark and easily noticing the light that came from the stalled elevator.

__15 feet at most. Nothing I cant handle, and nothing I wouldn't go through for him...__

She eased off on the doors, noticing that without her body there to hold them open they would once again close. She looked for the crowbar, noticing it on the floor a few feet away. Annoyance clawed at her but she ignored it, not caring about something as trivial as this just as long as she could get to him.

__Just as long as I'm there.__

Wanting her presence to stay unknown for as long as possible she edged forward, teetering on the small lip just inside the doors as they closed behind her, the entire shaft become pitch black. She waited a few seconds more, allowing her eyes to adjust even further. Finally she made her move, jumping forward and grabbing the faint outline of one of the larger cables and fighting back the yelp of pain that came with it as she slid down a few inches, the wire burying itself in her right forearm and hands.

But the pain only ended up adding to her fury, motivating her even more, and without stopping she continued to work her hands down the cable, every so often slipping and running another couple of metal splinters into her hands.

__Ten feet.__

She had still yet to make any noise and knew that Krystal wouldn't detect her, not with her mind disguised as well as it was, a technique that she wished she had taught Fox before all of this. With only a few feet to go the vixen's hands, dripping blood, missed their target one last time causing her to wrap her legs around the cable to save herself from landing with a loud bang. While it saved her from being discovered it ended up running a good six inch splinter up her left calf and it took all the self control she could muster to hold the pain inside.

__This is nothing! I'd gladly feel all of this for him! This...is...nothing!__

She timidly stepped down onto the top of the elevator, looking down and using the dim light from below her to see the blood falling from her arms and running down her legs. But at this point the sight only brought a smirk to her face, the pain was a sensation like one she had never felt before. She was feeling this for him! This blood was for Fox, it was her blood, not Krystal's, it showed just how far she would go. Just how much she'd do to have him.

__Yes...bleed. Run down my arms and legs, I want to feel it all over my body, I want them to see it.__

She didn't bother pulling the splinters out, instead enjoying the pain she felt as she reached down and pulled back on the emergency latch. She didn't know what to expect or what she'd see. To be honest there was still a small part of her that hoped Krystal wasn't even in there with him, but she knew that wouldn't be the case. She knew that sapphire bitch was behind all of this, and if she was willing to go this far, then Fara would be as well.

__You have no idea who you are messing with. You say you'll die for him, but I'll kill for him. Mine is the stronger love and I'll soon show it.__

Whatever the case was when she dropped into the elevator, she knew she'd fix it. She knew Fox better than Krystal ever would. She could get inside his mind without being a telepath, and could do so much more damage as well. She had no doubt that the two of them had already gotten back to good terms, maybe even further, but she would fix all of that. She would show that bitch just how much she was capable of, and she'd learn to never mess with her again.

000

**_**This is wrong!**_**

__No this is right, this has always been right!__

**_**No! She's just toying with you, remember what Fara said...**_**

__But Krystal said that wasn't possible, that she couldn't do that stuff!__

**_**Of course she'd say that! She isn't stupid!**_**

__But she said she loves me...__

**_**How do you know that's real though...**_**

Thoughts such as those had been battling it out in his mind ever since he had felt the sapphire vixen's mouth meet his own. But even the part of him that was shattered from everything that Fara had said and done, the part of him that told him this was wrong, that he couldn't betray Fara like this, it couldn't force him to pull away. Regardless of whose influence he was under he knew he'd never be brainwashed enough to pull away from something such as this.

Or so he thought.

**_**She can make you think and do anything she wants.**_**

__No...no not Krystal...__

**_**These memories you have, they are no trouble for a Cerenian to create.**_**

__She wouldn't do that to me!__

**_**Do you not see Krystal the way we do? Do you not see how she really is?**_**

His mind instantly flashed back to the pier as he remembered Fara telling him all this, telling him all the things that destroyed his world. But was she right? Was she telling the truth? Exhaustion overwhelmed him as his heart and mind worked desperately to figure out the answer.

__Who do I believe? Which one is right!__

The image of Fara, clinging to his arm with an honest desperate look in her eyes, begging him to believe what she said, made its way into his mind. The fennec fox had always been one of the closest friends he ever had, and at one point she had been much more than that. But now, picking between her and Krystal, he found the decision to be nothing short of impossible. He wanted to say he loved them both, but that wasn't true and it would never work.

__I know who I love, but is it the right one? Does it even matter anymore? Do I even get to choose?__

He felt the blue vixen's lips ease away from his own, a concerned look on her face. Instantly he knew she had been reading his mind, that she had heard his questions and seen his memories, and once again it sparked a unseen flame of irritation within him. Right or not, Fara had gotten to him more than he'd ever know. His opinion of Krystal would never truly be the same again, not as long as he knew she was a Cerenian, not as long as she could read his mind.

"Fox...I...

The mix of emotions within him made the vulpine want to run and jump off a cliff. Half of him was still hung on the sapphire fox's kiss, while the other half was fighting her every step of the way, fueling the fire that Fara had started within him in order to burn the Cerenian.

"That's it." he interrupted her, looking into her gaze and speaking sternly, "That's all that's holding me back."

A hurt look rested in her eyes and he couldn't help but feel bad for being the cause of it, but at the same time there was a satisfaction that he felt from it as well, which after realizing it made the vulpine sick to his stomach. Somehow there was a part of him that enjoyed hurting the sapphire fox now, a feeling he had never thought possible.

__No...that cant be me can it? How could I think...__

"It's not you Fox its..."

"Stop it!" he yelled back at her, clutching his head, "How can I believe anything anymore when I know you can get inside my head so easily!"

This was Fara's doing at its best. Before that day the vulpine would have never thought a thing about something such as this, but now, knowing that his mind could be violated so easily, or at least being tricked into thinking it could, it prevented him from doing what really needed to be done. Fara had corrupted his mind by telling him that his mind had been corrupted by Krystal. (Does anyone understand what I'm saying? Does anyone see the irony here?)

"Weren't you listening to me?" she retorted, her voice now stronger as she grabbed him by the shoulders, "I would never do that to you! Fox I love you!"

He looked up at her, wanting more than anything else to believe her, to believe that all of this was the truth and not just another mindfuck. But after all Fara had done, after all she had told him with that look on her face, begging him to believe her, there was still a part of him that wouldn't give in. Every time Krystal read his mind it reminded him of all Fara had said, and every time from now on the same thing would happen. Fara had said something that, true or not, he would never forget.

"What do I have to do to convince you? What will it take to make you believe that I've never done any of these things to you?" she finally asked, her eyes pleading as she sat on her knees between his legs, her hands still on his shoulders.

__Make me forget I ever heard anything Fara said about you.__

The was a short pause between them, the two holding the others gaze for a brief moment, the vulpine waiting on her response to his unspoken question, knowing that she had heard him.

"Fox...I can't do that. I never could."

All of the sudden everything seemed to stop. Finally the wheels began to turn and the pieces began to fall into place as he replayed the vixen's words in his mind.

__She could fix this, she could erase my memory and cause me to forget everything that Fara told me about Cerenian's. Doing so would give Krystal everything she wanted, but she cant. She cant erase my thoughts. If she could then she would have already...which means...Fara...__

__She was lying.__

No sooner had the thought left his mind did the vulpine feel something warm running down the side of his face. He didn't know he had started crying but reached up and brushed away the warm liquid anyway, immediately realizing it wasn't what he had thought. He looked down at his hand, expecting a clear, salty spec but instead recognizing the familiar dark red tint of blood.

__But who...__

No sooner had the thought left his mind did he feel the presence land beside him, surprising the vulpine as he took in the fox standing before him, blood running down her arms and legs as he met her gaze.

"Fara...

000


	19. A New Fara

000

__This is bad. This is really bad.__

Despite the shock that still resided within her the sapphire vixen held Fara's gaze without wavering, but it was nothing short of a challenge. The sight before both her and Fox was one of surprise and fear as the bloodstained vixen stood over them both, a look of complete obsession and determination residing in her eyes. The crimson liquid was dripping from both her hands and running down one of her legs yet Fara seemed not to notice in the least, her gaze merely narrowing at the sapphire fox as she easily guessed what had went down between the two of them.

"Fara..." the vulpine murmured in disbelief, his voice finally causing the fennec fox to look over at him. "...what...what happened to you? What did you do?" he finished, still sitting on the floor, his back against the elevator wall as he looked up at her.

Her gaze softened somewhat and for a moment Krystal thought she was going to try and act hurt and needing comfort to win his affection once more, but that wasn't the case. Not this time. No, instead her eyes filled with malice and jealousy as she raised her left hand, turning the palm out towards the vulpine and showing him the numerous metal splinters that had buried themselves within her palm and fingers, blood continuing to ooze out and run down her arm.

"It's not what I did Fox." she muttered coldly, her emotions displaying nothing of the caring vixen she had been on the pier, "It's what she did."

She finished by pointing her other hand at Krystal, her motion flicking blood across the floor and hitting her in the face.

__I did nothing! He's already figured it out, he knows you lied about everything! Its too late.__

Yet while these thoughts ran through her mind she kept silent, praying that Fox would be able to stand up to Fara on his own. She knew he was still a wreck on the inside, that his whole world had been completely fucked up in a matter of hours and that he was nowhere near putting the pieces of the puzzle back together that was his life. But the fact remained; he knew now. He knew Fara had been lying, that she had deceived him and put him through all of this.

__The only problem is that Fara has probably figured that out as well...__

A confused look resided on the vulpine's face but he finally shook it off and rose to his feet, standing face to face with the fennec fox, forcing a serious, somewhat determined expression.

"She did nothing," he answered her, his voice just as icy as he confirmed Fara's fears.

**_**So she got to him then...that bitch just wont give up...no matter, it's not over yet.**_**

"All those things you said about her, about Cerenians and their powers...none of it was true was it?" He finished his question with such a look that Krystal almost felt sorry for Fara, and for the first time since the brown vixen had arrived her face showed the smallest indication of remorse.

__The only thing that can ever scare her, that can ever really hurt her, is him...__

But the look was gone almost as soon as it appeared and Krystal knew all too well that Fara had an answer for him, yet the sapphire fox remained silent, not sure why, but still waiting.

"Well?" he asked after a few seconds, "Was it?" his voice stronger and hinting anger.

A hurt look crossed Fara's face and at first Krystal thought she might admit to her lies, but that wasn't the Fara Phoenix that had done all of this. That wasn't the Fara Phoenix that almost destroyed everything about Fox McCloud that made him who he was just so she could have him for herself. She wouldn't give in that easy and Krystal knew it.

__She's changing, I can feel it...the anger approach isn't working so she's trying another.__

"Oh...Fox..." she murmured, her gaze softening as she placed a bloody paw on his chest, "I would never lie to you, you know that."

A growl of protest escaped the blue vixen at these words but Fox retorted before she could do anything, doing his best not to get swooned by the fennec fox a second time.

"Yet you did." he answered sternly, grabbing her paw and pulling it from his chest, instantly getting a moan of pain from Fara. But the vulpine didn't hesitate because of it, "You told me she could play with my memories and control what I do, but Cerenians have never had that ability. You lied to me."

"Fox," she repeated, a knowing look in her eyes that only Krystal managed to catch, "I told you, I would never lie to you. I would never hurt you like that."

She finished by placing her other paw on his chest, the vulpine once more grabbing it and holding it away, leaving two bloody hand prints on his jacket as he stood face to face with her. Once again the brown vixen lightly cried out in pain as he held her injured paws, but there was another look in her eyes that made both Krystal and the vulpine sick. Beneath her supposedly loving and truthful gaze was a spark of pleasure that grew with the amount of pain she felt from his grip on her paws.

__She's sick...she's completely obsessed with him, its unreal...__

"You hurt me more than anyone has ever hurt me in my entire life." the vulpine answered, holding her gaze and sneering at the small look of pleasure that she wore, finally letting go of her hands and stepping back. "To have said what you did, to have tricked me like that..."

"I did it because I love you," she interrupted him, once more placing her paws on his chest, causing him to grab her by the wrists.

"No." he answered confidently, "You did it because you hate her," he looked over at Krystal for a moment, causing Fara to do the same, the brown vixen merely grinning at her now, giving Krystal that much more reason to worry.

__Something isn't right...why is she acting like this?__

"Well..." Fara replied, still smirking as she looked back over at Fox, "That too."

The vulpine's expression was nothing short of complete disbelief at what he was hearing now and he instantly let go of Fara's wrists, stepping back and shaking his head.

"I cant believe it," he muttered half to himself, "I cant believe I thought I loved you."

The vixen's gaze rested on Fara's, hoping for a look of heartache and dismay at hearing such a thing from Fox but instead seeing nothing but that small smirk on her expression, that look that seemed so read 'You don't know what you're saying.' The fact that none of this seemed to faze the fennec fox, that it brought a smile to her face even, was bad, very bad. And the expression almost seemed borderline cynical the more the blue vixen tried to decipher it and figure out what plans were behind it.

__If only I could read her mind I could figure out what she's planning.__

"Silly Fox," she answered, her voice __way__ too casual and happy for either of their liking, "Of course you love me, you just don't realize it yet."

The look of shock and disbelief on his face remained as more of Fara's word play continued, yet the vulpine did his best to hold his composure, knowing that he had the upper hand here, or at least thought so.

"I realize it." he retorted, struggling under her smirked gaze, "I realize that you're jealous and that you'd do whatever it takes to have me all to yourself."

"I realize," he added more coldly, "Just how desperate you are."

The vixen's eyebrows twitched in annoyance and the look of smugness was slowly fading away to be replaced with one of a quiet rage as she continued to hold his line of sight as the seconds passed on and on. Finally, as if counting back from ten to still her anger, the look vanished and was once again replaced with a smirk.

"You're half right," she finally answered, raising her right hand and admiring the blood that rested on her fingertips, "I am desperate...for you. That's why I suffer, that is why I bleed, because I do it for you. This," she said, holding her hand up to her face and running her tongue across her fingertips, licking up the blood that still remained there, "is nothing compared to what I'd do to have you."

From where she sat in the floor the sapphire vixen began to sense a feeling unlike any she had ever experienced before. Despite Fara's mind being blocked off, her emotions were still more than capable of being read and as she continued to speak the blue fox could feel the sickest, darkest aura slowly overtaking the small square area. Any love, any remorse or sympathy that she had left was slowly being erased and Krystal found the hairs on the back of her neck beginning to rise as everything seemed to grow darker and darker around them.

"But," Fara continued, jerking the Cerenian back to consciousness, "Jealous I am not. I could never be jealous of someone such as her."

Fara jerked her head towards the vixen who had slowly risen to her feet, the two of them briefly locking eyesight, causing Krystal to narrow her gaze at the dramatic look that resided in Fara's expression.

__I've got to do something before she does...__

"I mean what is there to be jealous of? All I see is a bitch with a home planet that was thankfully blown into oblivion."

__That's it!__

A growl of anger escaped both her and Fox at what Fara had said but it was her alone who acted upon the words. But no sooner had she begun to move forward did she realize how much she had underestimated this new version of Fara. The fennec fox had sized them up, perfectly at that. Krystal immediately found herself in an all too similar position as Fara's bloody right hand rested around her throat, pinning her against the wall with strength that was simply inconceivable.

Her hands instinctively went to the brown vixen's wrist in hopes of freeing herself as she had done before but this time her struggles weren't nowhere near as effective. Instead she was forced to fight for breath and watch in horror as Fox stepped forward, the look in his eyes telling Fara that he wouldn't hesitate to fight her now. But the vulpine would never get the chance and Krystal had to watch in disbelief as Fara's other hand collided with the side of his neck, Fox's eyes flying open in surprise for only a brief second before going dull with unconsciousness as he fell to the floor.

__No! Fox! No! I wont let this happen!__

Finding new strength from seeing the vulpine's body go limp she managed to rip Fara's arm away, once again allowing herself to breath in the precious oxygen that her body had been deprived of. But her time of recovery was cut far shorter than she needed it to be as she felt Fara's other hand connect with her unprotected stomach as she held her pain ridden throat. Now the rest of the oxygen that her body had was also knocked out of her and the vixen began to fall forward onto the floor. Yet no impact would be felt as Fara's bloody palm caught her, instantly slamming her up against the wall as the vixen got face to face with her.

"I warned you this would happen. I tried to tell you to give up but you didn't listen. You have no one to blame but yourself for this you stupid bitch."

As the final word left her mouth so did another bloody fist connect with her gut, the line between reality and unconsciousness now becoming very hard to decipher for the sapphire fox as she struggled to breath. She knew that she couldn't win this fight now, not after how it had started. But had it been a fair fight she still would have doubted her chances. This wasn't Fara anymore, Fara was long gone. This was someone...no...something else...and it couldn't be stopped.

"You tried to take him from me," she snarled, punching her in the stomach yet again, "Remember what I said I'd do to you if you pulled something like that?"

Punch after punch connected with her gut and the pain soon became unbelievable, the vixen unable to breath or defend herself now, only cough up blood and look into Fara's satisfied gaze. She was sure the fennec fox wouldn't stop until her arm gave out and by then she'd be dead, but it never lasted that long.

In her semi-conscious state of mind the sapphire vixen noticed the regular set of lights come to life, soon followed by the room select panel, and almost immediately the elevator began falling towards the lobby, someone or something having fixed the problem she created. Fara noticed this as well and stepped back, a look of annoyance accompanied with brief worry running across her face as she realized they would soon be within the public's view.

She held the sapphire vixen's gaze, pleased with the half conscious, pain filled look she got in response. She then looked at the floor at the vulpine, weighing her options in her mind, knowing she only had seconds to figure out what she'd have to do. Finally, as they were moments away from the doors opening she decided, leaning forward until she was face to face with the blue vixen.

"Out of time," she murmured, brushing one of the blue bangs from her face, "Too bad, I would have only needed a few more minutes to kill you the way I wanted."

__She's...sick...__

"Oh but don't you worry," she continued, looking at the vulpine in the floor and nodding, "This isn't over. I'll finish what I've started and I'll get what I came for and when it's all said and done you __will __be dead."

With that final promise the fennec fox delivered one last gut wrenching blow to the vixen's stomach before stepping aside and letting her fall to the floor. She then leaned down and raised Fox's head up, connecting her mouth to that of the unconscious vulpine's and savoring the kiss for all it was worth before standing back up.

"See you soon." she muttered darkly, stepping forward and resting her boot on the vixen's back before jumping through the escape hatch in the ceiling and disappearing into the darkness, leaving the pain ridden vixen and unconscious vulpine on the bloody floor of the elevator. She looked over at him, holding her stomach as she fought back tears and struggled to breath through the pain. Behind her she heard the doors open and after a few seconds some high pitched scream of terror from some lady, but it, like everything else, was soon growing fuzzier and fuzzier as unconsciousness overtook her as well.

Fara's plan had failed but it hadn't been her only option, and now that the sapphire vixen had seen the true nature of the fennec fox she couldn't help but wonder how in the hell they were going to make it through all of this in one piece.

000


	20. Back Home: Feelings Revealed

000

__"This isn't over. I'll finish what I've started and I'll get what I came for and when it's all said and done you will be dead."__

000

The first thing that reached her was the all too familiar scent of the room. Not the hotel room, but her own room back on GreatFox, the room where she had spent the past few months with them. As if recognizing the comforting scents of 'home' her brain began pulling the rest of her senses from their state of unconsciousness and slowly she opened her eyes, thankfully being greeted with the sight of the familiar gray ceiling above her.

__I'm back in my room. I'm...__

She was jerked from her thoughts as she tried to sit up, instantly grimacing in pain as the effects of her earlier beating took their toll. Her small cry caught the attention of someone else who had been in her room, the green skinned amphibian immediately looking up from his laptop with surprise and relief in his eyes.

"Krystal! You're alive!"

"I shouldn't be?" she asked, timidly scooting back against her headboard into a sitting position.

Realizing he had overreacted the toad merely returned the smile she cast at him, closing his computer before looking out the doorway and calling out for Falco. Almost instantly the bird rounded the corner and stepped into the room, a distant, thoughtful look in his gaze as he made his way towards them.

"Finally awake eh blue?" he asked, grabbing a chair that had been brought in from the kitchen and turning it around before sitting down.

"Yeah..." she replied softly, nodding at the avian before narrowing her gaze towards the exit, wishing that another member of the team would enter.

__Is he okay? I remember him falling to the ground, but was he hurt? Did she take him? All I remember is that look in her eyes and what she said...__

Everything had went to hell for Fara and the fennec fox finally realized that her chances with the vulpine had been dashed, leaving her only one option left that would keep her and Fox together. Force. And she had demonstrated it upon both of them within a few seconds, knocking the vulpine out and nearly choking the blue vixen to death as she landed punch after punch into her gut. She couldn't help but wince in pain as she remembered the barrage, ashamed that she had allowed it to happen.

Before, she had pegged Fara as a decent fighter on foot but nothing she couldn't handle. But after realizing Fox didn't love her, that he had chosen Krystal instead, it caused something to snap inside her, something that put a look into her eyes that the cerulean fox would never forget. Insanity wasn't quite the word, or maybe it was, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that the look Fara had while holding her by the throat was one of pure obsession, and it told Krystal one thing if nothing else.

Fara was not finished.

"He's fine," Falco spoke up, following her gaze towards the door, "Just a pinched nerve that knocked him out cold. He's been awake for a while."

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked, still trying to put everything in order.

"After they found you two they took you both to the hospital and found a few cracked ribs on your part, and some very serious bruises, but with no insurance they sent you both back from Terria and me and Slippy retrieved your Arwings. Oh...well...to answer your question you've been out of it for a good 8 hours. To be honest I couldn't believe you stayed under that long."

__My body was healing itself, yet another Cerenian feature that they don't know about.__

She threw the covers off her legs and and swung them to the side of the bed, grimacing in pain but shooing away Slippy as he tried to help her. She knew she was hurt but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Fara may have gotten the best of her this time but she wouldn't do so again. She was willing to fight for Fox as well, and she'd die before letting that bitch take him. With thoughts such as these on her mind the vixen gritted her teeth and ignored the pain that ran along her front as she straightened up and looked back towards Falco.

"How do you feel?" he asked, easily noticing the pain in her eyes but not bringing it up.

She took a few steps forward, not giving an indication to either of them of the pain she felt with every step. Slowly she made her way across her room towards the dresser, stopping in front of it and raising her shirt up far enough to look over the bruises. Immediately the pain seemed to worsen, as if seeing the dark area coating her white stomach fur allowed her brain to decide the pain she was already feeling wasn't enough. She couldn't help but bite her lip as she remembered their time of origin, Fara's rage driven paw connecting time after countless time with her stomach until finally allowing her to fall to the ground.

__How was she capable of doing that? That strength...I mean...I know she was mad, I know she was jealous and pissed off that her plan was falling apart, but still...that strength was just...amazing.__

She didn't want to think about it anymore but how couldn't she? How could she forget about the fennec fox and her dark promise to kill the vixen when every step she took filled her body with pain that __she __had inflicted?

"It hurts." she finally replied, turning and facing the two, ignoring the look of sympathy they had. "But I'll manage."

She made her way back over to the bed, timidly sitting down on the foot of it, wrapping her arms around her waist and allowing silence to overtake the trio. It was drama, and too much of it. Her life had been turned completely upside down within the past three days, something she had kind of been hoping for, but not like this. Had things went as planned she would have gotten close enough to the vulpine for him to finally tell her he loved her and the two could finally be the couple she had dreamt of.

__But things didn't go that way. Fara made sure of that.__

"Where's...Katt?" she finally managed to say, truthfully wanting to know where her friend was but really wanting to ask about another member of the team.

"Showering," Falco answered, jerking his head back towards the hall, "She told me to take her spot before going to get Slippy."

She looked over at the toad, not quite understanding until he spoke up. "I took Fox's place." he said, smiling kindly, "He had been by your side ever since he woke up but Katt finally made him leave and get some sleep, he really needed it."

__Of course he does, he's been through hell the past few days. He's emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted from everything Fara has put him through. From everything I have put him through.__

Without thinking it over she once more stood up, closing her eyes and fighting back the pain that shook her body as her muscles contracted around the bruises. She could take this, if only until she made it into his room. She just had to see him, she had to get one last glance at the vulpine to make sure he was alright before something else happened to them.

"Krystal I-

She saw Falco's hand pull Slippy back down into his seat, cutting the toad's protest short before giving the vixen a knowing nod.

"He's in his room." the avian replied calmly, a look in his eyes that Krystal had yet to ever see.

__I know that look...I wonder...did...he and Katt finally...__

A sharp pain in her gut brought all of her attention back to simply walking in the least painful way. She made her way out the door and looked down the hall, clutching her stomach and fighting back the tears that had formed in her eyes.

__Damn this hurts! I don't know why, but it does. I cant move a single inch without feeling so much pain in my stomach.__

As she timidly made her way down the hall towards his room the vixen once again took into account how unbelievably strong Fara had been at that one moment. It had been as if the fennec fox had transformed into another animal entirely, as if it had not been a fox holding the Cerenian by the throat, corrupting her insides with monstrous blows, but a beast of far greater magnitude and power. She didn't want to fear Fara, mainly because she didn't want to believe something horrible was going to happen. But she knew it would. She didn't know where, or when. But it would happen.

Doing her best to ignore the sick sense of foreboding that has risen within her the vixen brought her other arm down to her waist, gently wrapping it around her stomach and clutching it in an attempt to lessen the pain she was feeling. The vulpine's door never seemed this far away before and she knew that in reality it was still the usual 15 or so feet away that it always was, but this time it felt as if she was making the trip to Corneria on foot rather than in her Arwing.

__So this is what a few cracked ribs feels like? It hurts like hell but I can take it...I have to. I've got to get to him.__

There wouldn't be any more waiting after all that had happened. As far as she was concerned everything that had needed to be said or done was behind them, all she wanted to do now was just get it over with and see how it all played out. Either way it went she knew it would be necessary to surviving the rest of this.

After what seemed like miles of pain filled walking she reached his door, allowing herself to lean against it and wince with every breath as her body continued to put pressure on and off her her injuries, the pain inevitably coming with it. After a few seconds she reached down and turned the handle, grateful that it was unlocked and wouldn't require her powers for entry. Almost as soon as the door opened his scent hit her and the pain in her stomach instantly began to lighten as she focused on something far more important.

Her gaze fell on his bed, the vulpine's back facing her as he lay on top of the covers. The quick rise and fall of his chest, coupled with the jumble of thoughts that instantly hit the vixen telling her that he wasn't nowhere near asleep, and wouldn't be anytime soon.

Yet he didn't bother turning around to face his visitor, instead merely mumbling, "She awake?"

The vixen froze in her tracks, still feet from the bed, trying to decipher the tone that the vulpine had.

__He sounds so...so...beaten. So...defeated. It's like he's given up.__

"Yeah." she murmured softly, her voice causing the vulpine to stiffen until he finally rolled over and faced her.

"Krystal...you...

__Just get it over with now damnit! No more waiting!__

"Fox." she managed to say sternly, the seriousness of her tone surprising them both. "Just say it. Say it now or never say it at all, but please don't make me wait any longer."

He rose up into a sitting position, still holding her gaze as he slowly stood met her, a look of uncertainty and hope mixed in his expression. She watched his sight fall to her waist, resting on her arms as they remained wrapped around her stomach in an attempt to hold back the pain she was feeling. This only caused guilt to overtake the vulpine and he couldn't help but look at the floor, clenching his fists in anger as he too remembered all that had happened.

"I'm sorry." he muttered, still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry that-

"No!" she interrupted him, the intensity of her voice causing him to look back up at her, "Fox...do you love me or not? I have to know," she continued, her voice now softer as she added, "Do...do you love me or not?"

He managed to hold her gaze only for a moment before allowing it to fall back down, the vulpine taking the remaining few steps forward until they were only a foot apart before answering with a soft whisper, "I know I may not show it-

She raised her muzzle up and pressed it against his, not needing to hear anything else from him, and frankly just not caring anymore. After everything that had happened at this point she just didn't care anymore. She ignored the surprised response the vulpine had, she ignored the pain that overtook her body as she brought her arms up around his neck and pulled him tighter, none of that was important now. All that mattered was him. He was the reason for all of this and, although it didn't look like it, she knew she had won. Fara wasn't done, but she had already lost the only battle either of them knew counted. The battle for his heart.

000

"P-please...Fara! Let's just talk about-

The recoil on the blaster seemed to kick a bit more than usual this time, perhaps getting its own sick thrill after taking the life of another. The fennec fox was unfazed by any of this though, as this was merely an activity to kill time, to wait a little while before making her move. Her gaze fell to the floor where it rested on a black vulpine surrounded by a puddle of blood. He reminded her of Wolf O'Donnell somewhat, mainly because of the eye patch he sported over his left eye, but his dark, uncaring attitude also added to the comparison. She had known him longer than she'd care to admit, hating herself for ever allowing his charm and rugged physique to get the best of her. Had she not had her own little 'adventure' with this guy, and had Fox never found out about it, the chestnut vulpine would have never wanted to take a break from their relationship in the first place.

__But we ended things...but Fox I love you, I still do. And I'll prove it. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll kill as many as I have to...__

In her mind though she knew it wouldn't really change things. That wouldn't get to Fox, he was too strong to allow something such as murder to get to him. Unless it was the right victim. She turned the blaster on herself, admiring the blood that ran down the barrel and eventually her hand. So far she had found the first threat that her and Fox had ever encountered as a couple, and terminated it. She knew her reasoning for it was off, that it really didn't make sense, but that didn't matter. Why?

Because to her it felt good. The rush was amazing, and the thought of Fox being there with her, watching from the side as she pulled the trigger and killed the black vulpine that had been the cause of their first break up, it made her shudder with ecstasy. Somewhere, far back in the corner of her mind she knew this was wrong, that this wasn't herself, but that was the Fara Phoenix from five years ago, the Fara Phoenix that had been buried and hidden away a long time ago.

Now, if that part of her had ever had a chance to return, it was gone forever. In that elevator, realizing her plan had failed, that he hated her, that he would never love her again, it had caused something inside of her to snap. It was a sickening feeling yet at the same time it was nothing short of amazing. A grin crossed her face as she remembered slamming Krystal against the wall with strength she never knew she had before...looking into her eyes and watching them scream in pain as she delivered punch after punch into the vixen's stomach.

__I should have killed her. I could have snapped her neck right then and there but I didn't...and I'm glad...__

Before she had enjoyed the thought of Krystal spending the rest of her life in misery as her and Fox lived happily ever after. But after everything that had happened...her 'new' train of thought had devised a more satisfying ideal demise for the Cerenian.

__I'll make her suffer for taking him away from me. The pain will be unimaginable and never ending! She will beg me to kill her after the first few minutes but it will last her an entire lifetime. Every second of every hour of every day for the rest of her life, I'll make her suffer for this. For taking him from me.__

The thought of the blue fox writhing in never ending pain brought an even more cynical smirk to the fennec fox's face as she brought the blaster to her mouth, running her tongue down the barrel and licking up the vulpine's blood. It had started off as hate and rage, but now there was a new feeling that she was getting from all of this. From killing those who got in her way, from simply imagining the pain and torture that she could inflict upon those who had done this to her.

It was no longer just hate she felt from all of this, but also pleasure.

She knew now that this was the best possible outcome she could have ever hoped for. Before she had been willing to let the sapphire vixen live, to simply rub it in her face and enjoy her new life with Fox. But that was all too boring now, it wasn't enough. No. Now she realized what she could really do to them all. She would demonstrate to everyone just how far she would truly go in order to have Fox McCloud.

__You simply don't get it you?__

She stepped over the dead body and made her way back towards her ship, jumping onto the wing and casting one last look back at the dead vulpine's body.

__Fox WILL love me. One way or the other.__

000


	21. Fara's Sick Mind

000

He couldn't help but fall back onto the bed, pulling her with him and doing his best to ignore the cry of pain that escaped her as she remained on top. He knew she was hurting, both physically and emotionally, and he also knew he was the cause of all of it. So to be in this position, her sapphire body resting on top of his own as she edged him through another unbelievable kiss, he could only manage to return the favor and hope that all of this wasn't a dream.

__That's what these past few days have felt like. A dream. All of it, everything that has happened, it just seems so unreal and farfetched. And this, right here, it only adds to it.__

Fara arriving, kissing him and saying she still loved him, followed by Krystal flirting with him during breakfast, then their escapade on Corneria. All that seemed like forever ago. And then there was the day before, after he had fucked everything up and met Fara on the pier after his second argument with Krystal. What Fara had told him, she looked absolutely truthful, she was crying and begging him to believe her, to believe that Krystal was deceiving him all this time and that he should leave the Cerenian for good.

…__.and I was going to. I was going to force her to leave the team. But she still loved me enough to try one last time...__

Thinking back to all that had happened between them in the elevator he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt as he remembered everything he had told the sapphire fox.

"_**_**All Cerenians are like that. And after thousands of years of it karma finally caught up with them."**_**_

The memory of his former self saying such a thing to the vixen made him clench his fists in guilt and anger, his conscious causing him to pull away from the blue fox above him. She looked back at him, distant pain and hurt still in her eyes but hidden behind the relief and love that seemed to overtake them both. He held her gaze only for a second before gently pulling her into his chest, holding her tight and resting his muzzle on her head.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, taking in her calming scent, "For everything I said to you. I didn't mean any of it."

She cautiously scooted up closer to him, their faces now level as she rested a paw on his chest and her muzzle against his. He could tell she was still hurting, that Fara had done an unreal amount of damage to her, but he could also tell that she wasn't letting it stop her. She was too strong for that. He only wished he was half as strong as the blue goddess before him, maybe then he wouldn't hurt her so damn much.

"I know you didn't," she answered softly, her paw now resting on the side of his neck, "You were just saying what Fara wanted you to."

"That doesn't mean it didn't hurt you any less."

The vixen smiled before leaning in and kissing him again, clearly not wanting to hear the vulpine apologize for all that had happened, only wanting to forget about it and focus on him. But he couldn't do that. His conscious wouldn't let him. He had done too much to her to just 'forget it' and move on. In the elevator alone he had slammed her up against the wall and held her there while he bashed the vixen and her home planet. Almost the entire time he had only one intention and that was to hurt her, to make her cry and leave him so Fara would be happy and he could finally have __someone.__

__How? How could I have treated her like that? Not just in the elevator but the whole time we were on Corneria. All that stuff I said and did, I knew it was hurting her but I didn't stop, I didn't apologize and make up for it. I just ignored it and kept adding fuel to the fire.__

"No," he managed to say, pulling away and averting his gaze, "After everything I did to you...how can you possibly forgive me? I hurt you over and over, I said all those things to you...

His fists were clenched yet again as he continued to mentally yelled at himself for doing all of that to her. He was pissed at himself for so many reasons. For allowing himself to be so gullible, for not having the faith in the blue vixen that she had in him, for not believing her over Fara, for allowing himself to be deceived so easily by the fennec fox. He felt like a child, not knowing what to say or do only knowing that he had screwed up and that someone had gotten hurt. He knew everything was his fault but not only did he not know how to fix it, he had no idea how to even fucking apologize for it.

__How did I screw things up so badly?__

000

Despite the pain gnawing at her stomach the vixen managed to overhear every thought that ran through his mind and she couldn't help but smile in relief as she realized that Fara's grasp on him had finally been broken. She wasn't surprised he felt so guilty over everything that had happened, and she knew that no matter how many times she told him it was all Fara's doing, not his own, she knew he would blame himself for everything said and done.

__You did nothing wrong Fox, we both know whose fault this is.__

It still scared her how Fara had so easily gotten inside of his mind. She had pegged the fennec fox as simply a rich, spoiled, jealous, ex-pilot who only wanted to start trouble. But now she realized just how wrong she was. Fara was so much more than that, at least...she was now.

Krystal was no longer worried about Fox, knowing that she and the vulpine were finally being true to their hearts and would eventually get past this. But Fara was still out there and both of them knew that she was waiting and watching, plotting when to make her move and how to do it. And the blue vixen knew it would be nothing short of catastrophic. Fara had turned into something else, something of obsession and rage, hate and love. She had reached the point of insanity and was using the adrenaline from it to fuel her thoughts and actions, an example of such power being displayed only half a day ago inside the elevator.

She didn't want to worry about Fara, she wanted to focus on the fox in front of her and do her best to prove she still loved him. But the knowledge that Fara was out there somewhere, waiting to make her move, it was something she couldn't completely ignore, only push aside.

__Just take it one step at a time. Focus on him and after everything is better ___**_**then **_**___worry about Fara.__

"Fox," she whispered, pushing her worrisome thoughts about Fara to the back of her mind, "I can forgive you because I love you."

He slowly raised his gaze and met her, a look of disbelief obvious on his face as he shook his head. "You can't possibly love me that much. Not after everything I've done."

__You have no idea...__

She merely smiled, gently snuggling closer to him and resting her tail over the vulpine's arm on her waist.

"You did nothing Fox." she murmured, her muzzle against his neck. "And you have no idea how much I love you."

As the words left her mouth she felt his grip on her tighten as he replayed the words over and over in his mind.

__Just let it go Fox...I forgive you, I know it wasn't your fault. Please just let it go.__

The seconds passed and for a moment she wondered if he was even awake anymore, his heartbeat slowing and his mind finally beginning to settle. But just as she planned to speak up she felt his hand make its way across her waist before resting on her stomach, gently sitting above the vixen's bruised and battered torso.

"I should have just said it." he finally murmured, looking down at her with an uneasy smile, "Back at the diner, I should have done it there and none of this would have happened."

"You still can."

__It may have taken longer than I'd liked, but you can still tell me.__

He grinned and leaned down, connecting their mouths once again before pulling away and whispering, "I love you."

No sooner had he said it did she close the gap between them, her heart finally hearing what it needed. The pain in her stomach seemed to fade as she wrapped her arms around his neck and rolled over on top of him. The fact that Fara was still out there planning her revenge seemed like the furthest thing from their minds at the moment, both of them choosing to focus on each other rather than the crazed fennec fox who had started all of this.

She felt his paws slowly make their way around her back and up her shirt, the vixen issuing a growl of approval as he paused in unsureness. She had nothing to hold back from him anymore, not at this point. They were finally together and aware of the others feelings, all that was left now was to express those feelings and show the other just how much they really loved them. She couldn't help but inwardly smirk as she realized that Fara would never get to experience something like this with him after all that she had done.

__You lost. You tried to trick him, manipulate him and deceive him, all for your own personal gain. Yet you still lost. And somehow I won.__

In the back of her mind she knew this wasn't over and could only guess as to when Fara would act, how it would be done, and if she'd be alone. But all that could wait just a little longer because for now there was only one thing she was concerned about and that was the vulpine below her and what the rest of the night would bring for them.

000

(Let's say ****Killswitch Engage: My Obsession**** is playing in the background here, it suits Fara so perfectly even though the screaming at the start is a little extreme for my taste)

000

The green tint of Venom slowly faded into the distance as the vixen's red Arwing made its way across empty space, its navigation system on a set course for Corneria now. Fara rested in her seat, looking out of the canopy at the vast array of stars and planets above and letting her mind do what it had been doing best for the past few days.

Before all of this she had hated being in such quiet quarters alone, hated being able to think about such deep personal thoughts and feelings, and always searching for a distraction of some sort to keep her mind occupied. But that was no longer the case, and it would never be again. Now the fennec fox enjoyed the feeling, she loved the maddening silence and the ideas that it brought into her mind with every breath. It had been like this ever since she had left Corneria the first time, immediately heading for Venom to get what she needed and making a few 'personal' stops on the way.

She had never been able to feel this way, to have the ability to kill others so easily and actually enjoy it, to get a rush from the sound of a blaster hitting its target. Killing was killing, but this was an entirely new outlook on it. She wasn't just doing it for herself, she was doing it for Fox. The way she saw it, all of this was for him. The ones she killed were for him not her, and maybe one day he'd realize it. They would, after all, have the rest of their lives to spend together.

Her leg brushed up against the black duffel bag by her seat and she couldn't help but smirk as she imagined the damage its contents would do to them all. It would be nothing short of catastrophic, but in the end it would be worth it.

__It's not like he needs his team, or his ship. I'll be there for him, I've got everything he'll ever need.__

Even in her distorted state of mind there was a part of her that knew he didn't love her but she refused to believe it. The way she saw it she had never lied to the vulpine when telling him about Cerenian's and what they were capable of. The fennec fox honestly believed what she had told the vulpine and how can you be lying if that is the case?

__It doesn't matter. Once I have him he'll come to his senses. He'll remember who he loved first and once he does I'll make him happy, I'll make him enjoy his new, better life.__

Another crazed section of her mind began imagining how it would be after everything went down. She could picture the vulpine and her living in a mansion together, happier than he could have ever been with that sapphire bitch. And speaking of her, she'd still be alive, only she'd be wishing otherwise. Of course Fox wouldn't know, but why should he? Why should he know that the only other vixen he had 'thought' he loved was still alive? That was just too risky. It would already take longer than she would like to retrain Fox to love her again so there was no point in him knowing the Cerenian was still 'alive.'

__Perhaps shock therapy or something else would help speed along the process.__

She saw none of this as extreme or unreasonable. After what the two of them had done to her she only seen it to be fair that she did everything she could to __them__. She would forgive Fox, she knew it wasn't his fault that he had chosen wrong. But he'd come to his senses and realize his mistake before long, and when he did the two of them would live together forever after just as she had always planned. But as for Krystal, her plans for the blue vixen were nothing short of a scene from a horror film.

It was HER fault that all this had happened. She was cause of the insanity fueled pain that coursed throughout the brown vixen's body with every heartbeat. Every single second that Fara had to go without Fox would be multiplied by a thousand and the pain that she was currently feeling would be nothing compared to what that sapphire bitch would have to endure for every waking second of the rest of her life.

__You think you're making me suffer? You think you've won and that he's all yours? Just wait...your screams of agony will soon fill the acidic seas of Venom and you'll be begging for the sweet release of hell. But that will be a long time off...__

All of __that__ streamed throughout her mind within a mere couple of minutes and the vixen couldn't help but smirk in amusement as she noticed the e.t.a on her navigation screen.

__2 hours...still 2 hours until I arrive home and begin putting the finishing touches on.__

__2 hours.__

__So much more time to think about what I will do to them.__

000


	22. Katt's Move

000

"Damn you Falco." the pink cat sighed in annoyance as she tossed another empty cereal box into the trash, turning back towards the cabinet and thrusting a paw forward as she continued her search for sustenance. That was the third empty box so far and she was almost positive that the blue bird had been the last one to touch any of them.

__Who else on the ship would empty the boxes and put them BACK in the cabinet?__

Her stomach grumbled, once again letting the cat know that it was empty and craving anything edible. She reached to the far left and pulled out a final box of some off bran version of Cheerios, thankfully hearing a response as she shook it. Knowing this was the best she would get the feline grabbed her bowl and the milk from the fridge before making her way over to the table.

__It's a good thing Fox and Krystal are on their way back tomorrow. Otherwise we'd have to start eating each other.__

While rations were a legitimate problem for the team at the moment Katt couldn't help but feel a __stronger__ concern for her blue furred friend. The last time she had seen the vixen she had been more than upset, not telling her anything about what had happened between her and Fox but the look in her eyes betraying any attempts she might have been making to hide her sadness. And as if that bit of news wasn't bad enough, more soon followed as she recalled an annoyed looking Peppy entering the lounge and explaining what Fara had ended up doing.

__Who knows what's happened since yesterday? Fara could try anything, I can only hope that Krystal and Fox got things worked out before she found them.__

She took a first bite into the cereal, instantly realizing it was outdated but chewing on regardless, her mind still focused on other things. Fara's arrival was odd, but understandable. She wanted to catch up with old friends and spend time with Fox, but there was another intention behind it all. She didn't plan on just visiting for a while and disappearing all over again, that was far too obvious to everyone, except Fox. She didn't know if Fox realized how much Krystal loved him, but she knew that unless the blue vixen made her move on him quick then Fara would make her own. That was the only logical explanation as to why Fara had come here.

Taking another bite of the stale cereal, and also wondering if the milk was still good, the pink cat heard the faint opening and closing of a door down the hall. Seconds later the blue feathered secret love of her life slowly came around the corner, holding his forehead and stepping past her towards the fridge.

"Hungover?" she asked blatantly, remembering that there had been a six pack in the fridge the night before and figuring the bird had put it away.

She heard the freezer door close as he made his way back across the table, now holding an ice pack to his head as he plopped down in front of her. "What do you think?"

She scoffed, annoyed at his dry, sarcastic attitude. "If a six pack did that much to you then you must be a real lightweight."

He looked up at her and narrowed his gaze, the tables now turned as she waited silently for a reply, taking another bite of cereal and smirking at him.

"Yeah well," he started, closing his eyes and wincing at the sound of her spoon falling and hitting the side of the bowl, "It's more than you've done."

"Please." she replied, leaning back in the chair and dropping the bowl into the sink, intentionally allowing it to ping off the metal surface, "You're acting like you've put away a keg or something. Man up Lombardi."

With that she stood up and stretched, not sure how to feel about the little confrontation between the two of them. Sure, neither of them were the emotional type and the trash talk they had with each other like just now was nothing out of the ordinary, but this time something felt different and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of everything that was going on between Krystal and Fox, or maybe it was the bet she had made with the blue vixen to try and get closer to Falco.

__You don't have to act so tough around him all the time. If you want to have a chance with him then you've got to drop the attitude.__

"Okay fine," he replied, accepting her challenge and looking up, tossing the ice pack across the table and looking away from her.

For a moment her gaze rested on him, trying to figure out just what it was that had the bird so perturbed. She had seen him hungover dozens of times and he had always been annoyed and grumpy, like every other hungover person usually acted, but this time there was something different about him. This time she had saw a look in his eyes that she had only met a few times before. It was almost like regret but at the same time determination.

__Just try to be nice today.__

It would seem a little out of character but she knew that if there was ever going to be a chance of them getting together then she'd have to open up a little more, and so would he. Meaning the way they talked to each other would have to change as well. Sighing, she reached down and flicked the ice pack back across the table, hitting him in the arm and causing him to look up at her.

"Look," she started, her gaze turning away from him, "I was just messing with you. I didn't mean it."

He looked up at her for a brief moment before scooting back in his chair and standing up and making his way towards the lounge, not saying a word to her.

__Oh c'mon, what did I do wrong?__

The stubborn, fighter side of her got the better of her brain and she couldn't help but blab out, "What's wrong with you? You think you're the first person to ever have a hangover?"

__Yeah make him mad, that's a GREAT idea.__

As she guessed he stopped and stood under the doorway to the bridge, probably thinking of some hurtful response that would only worsen the feline's attempt at bringing them a little closer. She remained standing just outside the kitchen, arms crossed as she watched him turn around and face her, a hurt, annoyed look in his eyes.

"Christ Katt," he started, placing a hand on his forehead, "Just let me walk this one off for once instead of making it worse."

"Making it worse?" she asked, surprise and anger on her face, "It's not my fault you got drunk last night!"

He slowly opened his eyes and caught her gaze and the pink cat instantly knew that she had been wrong. She could see the emotion behind his eyes, the truth behind why he had been drinking in the first place, the reason he needed the alcohol to escape from reality for one night.

__Why is he looking at me like that?__

"No." he finally replied, looking away, "I guess its not."

Before she could reply he turned away and walked off down the bridge, his head and shoulders slumped down as if he were tired or depressed.

__Oh now what was that all about? He's never like that, I mean sure he's hungover, I get that. But it's not like him to just give up and let me win one of our arguments.__

She thought about following him but ultimately decided against it, figuring that whatever it was that happened to be bothering Falco was something she wouldn't be able to get him to talk about. Which annoyed her. Sure she was tough and strong to everyone else, she had that tom-boy attitude that portrayed her more as 'one of the guys' than anything, but that didn't mean she didn't have a feminine side. When she was around Krystal it showed more than ever, sometimes more than she'd like to admit.

__But I cant act like that around him. I just cant, I'm supposed to be tough and emotionless, that's how its always been.__

The pink cat plopped down onto the sofa and flicked on the television, still trying to figure out how to get past her dilemma. This was one of those times she wished she was more like Krystal, not for the vixen's ability to read minds but for her relaxed, feminist persona. The blue fox didn't have to worry about changing who she was in order to get close to Fox because he already saw her the way he needed to. But Katt was in the exact opposite position.

__All Falco sees when he looks at me is just a friend.__

The fact that her tom-boyish ways could have gotten the pink cat friendzoned made a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She knew she had no one to blame but herself. It was just who she was. Katt Monroe was a hardcore mercenary, not arm candy. She cussed, talked, and fought like every other male that was out there. And she feared it was these traits that had given Falco the impression that they could only ever be friends and nothing more.

__I've got to try. I have a feminine side, I've just got to try to show it around him, just once. Maybe that will be enough.__

000

9PM

000 Staying with Katt here...

__I cant believe I'm going to do this.__

**_**I cant do this. It's too risky.**_**

__Just try damnit. You remember what Krystal said, he likes you, she could feel it.__

**_**What if she was wrong? She might have been lying to you.**_**

__No, she wouldn't do that. But even if she was it shouldn't make any difference. I've got to make a move, and what better time to do it than now?__

She opened the door to the bathroom and stepped outside, the towel around her body concealing everything it needed to but still allowing water to drip off her fur. She made her way down the hall and paused at his door, still arguing with herself as to whether or not this was a good idea. It had been in her mind all day, trying to think of something that she could do or say to Falco that would fix the rough start that they'd had earlier that morning, and her mind had finally seemed to stick with simply knocking on his door and talking to him.

The fact that she was doing so right after getting out of the shower was merely a coincidence, but she decided to go with it. If nothing else it would only help her attempts at setting up the drama a bit more.

__I know this isn't like me, he'll probably think I'm crazy for acting like this, or high. But I cant stand acting so tough and friendly around him, not anymore. I want to be more than just friends with him, and if that means showing some emotion then so be it.__

Her paw rested on the door, pausing only a moment before firmly knocking against it three times.

"What?" came the emotionless reply, Falco still sounding as numb as he had that morning.

Not letting his tone dash her hopes the pink feline replied, "It's Katt."

__Please don't tell me to leave...__

She feared that more than anything else. All day long he had avoided her and she couldn't understand why, but for some reason she guessed that Fox and Fara getting back together had something to do with it. It was just a guess, and a wild one at that, but she wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe seeing his friend hooking up with someone he loved, be it Fara or Krystal, had caused Falco to want the same thing.

__Of course he doesn't think of me as anything more than a friend though.__

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice a little closer now, causing Katt to guess that he had either turned his head towards her or sat up.

"I...I just wanted to...talk." she finished awkwardly, feeling the heat rising from her face as she tried to keep her composure.

There was a pause, one longer than she would have liked, until finally she heard his feet hit the ground, telling her that he was still fully dressed even this late at night. His steps reached the door and she only had enough time to brush a bang away from her eyes before he opened it a few feet and rested against the frame, a shocked look on his face as he took in the half naked feline before him.

"...okay," he finally mumbled, the surprise fading as he managed to look up at her, "About what?"

His tone was almost as dry and uncaring as usual but this time it was somewhat lighter and emotional, as if seeing the feline in this state reminded him that he was talking to a girl, not some dude. That the towel around her waist covered breasts and at a lower region concealed her womanhood, two things that some 'friend' would never have. Not until they became more than that.

__Okay, just talk. Just say something about this morning and see how he takes it.__

"About this morning," she started, putting a paw behind her neck and looking down towards his chest, "What I said to you, I didn't mean it as an insult I-

She never got to finish her sentence, surprise and anger overwhelming her as the bird snorted in disbelief before stepping back and closing the door in her face.

__What the actual hell? What am I doing wrong?__

But where she expected heartbreak and self-pity to overtake her the cat instead felt annoyance and a new sense of determination. This wasn't her fault, not now. She was actually trying to change for him and he still refused to hear her out! Which one was it? Emotional, lady-like, Katt Monroe, or hardcore, badass, mercenary Katt Monroe? Would either work or was this all just a lost cause? She was going to find out.

__I'm not going to put up with this. I'll be whatever he wants me to be, but not until he accepts me as I am, right now!__

She reached forward and threw the door open, a surprised and agitated Falco Lombardi turning his head and casting her an emotional glare.

"Look," she said sternly, making her way over to him. "I came here to tell you I was sorry for whatever it is I did that made you feel so sad or angry or whatever it was that's wrong with you, but now I've changed my mind."

The surprised look on his face almost made her stop at that but she knew there was more to it and she intended on saying it before this new feeling left her.

"Now I'm going to say the truth. I'm __not__ sorry for anything because I didn't do anything to be sorry for! Whatever it is that's got you feeling this way is your problem not mine. You just need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and do whatever it takes to make yourself feel better. I hate seeing you this way and-

Her spur of the moment speech was instantly muffled out as she watched the bird's hands grab her by the shoulders before pulling her up against him and connecting their mouths. (see this is just hard to imagine because he has a beak and I really cant quite picture it, but hell, I'll wing it [no pun intended])

At first she wanted to pull away from him, still angry at the avian for his childish behavior and the way he had been treating her, but then it all began to sink in and those intentions were almost immediately replaced with new ones. Now all she wanted to do was keep the moment alive, to keep it going in case it stopped and never happened again. But neither of them had the intention of letting that happen and before she realized it she had pushed him back down onto the bed, urging the kiss on further and further, enjoying every second of the moment that she had been imagining for the whole time she had known him.

__We hardly said a damn thing and this is how it played out? No emotional talk? No in-depth conversations about each other? Just...this?__

__I'll take it.__

The rough side that each of them had finally kicked in and she knew that he wouldn't stop here unless she asked him to. And he knew she wouldn't. They were too similar in this case. Neither of them cared for showing their emotional sides or talking about their feelings, which meant that getting this far, being able to get into a position such as this one, was a miracle. But they had, and now that they had crossed that line those sides were no longer needed. Now the fighter, the tough, badass mercenary that was Katt Monroe could take back over and be the feline that loved him.

Within the next minute the avian had nothing on but his boxers and her towel had been tossed somewhere across the room, but in their heated frenzy neither of them thought a thing in the world about it. Only a minute ago they had been classified as friends or teammates, and now they were closer than either of them had ever thought possible. She figured that to anyone else in the entire galaxy, even Fox and Krystal, they would have considered things to be going way to fast, but to her and Falco this was the pace that both of them lived by.

"I love you," he finally said, meaning the words but still not the most emotional guy when it came to saying them.

"Shut up and fuck me Lombardi."

000


	23. A Dark Foreboding

000

It had been one of the best sleeps of his life, one that he would never forget as long as he lived no matter how hard he tried. But why would he? Spending the entire night beside the vixen...it was a thousand wonders he'd even gotten to sleep in the first place. Yet now, as he lazily let his arm slide out beside him, he realized that the female fox was no longer at his side and he was the sole occupant of his bed. Opening his eyes in curiosity and slight disappointment he realized that the only trace that remained of his love was the small indention her amazing body had left in the mattress.

But before his mind could wander any further the scent of an all too familiar food began to reach him and he couldn't help but grin to himself as he guessed who and what was behind it.

__Man, if I could wake up to this every day for the rest of my life I'd be the happiest fox in the universe.__

Still grinning to himself the vulpine threw on some jogging pants and a t-shirt before silently letting himself out of his room and down the hall. He knew it was still too early for anyone else on the team to be up, much less cooking since he was sure none of them knew how. Which meant his Cerenian beauty had to be the one behind this. As he neared the lounge he paused, poking his head around the corner and looking into the kitchen.

At first he was surprised that no one appeared to be in it, but then he noticed the door to the fridge was open and he could see the reflection of a white t-shirt from behind it. Smirking to himself the vulpine quickly slid around the corner and into the kitchen, resting behind the counter and waiting to surprise his mate.

A few more seconds passed until he finally heard the door close and when it did he wasted no time in sliding around the counter, eager to surprise his love and give her the good morning kiss she deserved. But no sooner did he get around the counter did he realize that something wasn't right. Yes, he received the surprised and happy look he had expected from the vixen, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that it wasn't the vixen he was in love with.

"Fox!" Fara exclaimed, stepping back in surprise before laughing, "Don't scare me like that!"

__What? Fara? No. No I chose Krystal! I...__

His mind was forced to stall as he felt Fara's arms lock around his neck, their mouths connecting as she kissed him as passionately as she had so many times before. But the vulpine couldn't respond, his mind wouldn't let him. It was then that he finally began to look around him and notice where he was. He had been here before, many times, and all of them with Fara. They were no longer aboard GreatFox and he was no longer in its kitchen. No. They were on Corneria in Fara's massive house, the one that her father had given her after graduating from flight academy, the one that he had spent the night in so many times before with the fennec fox.

__No...this cant be real. I know its not! This isn't real!__

He felt the vixen's tongue run across his muzzle as she pulled away from the kiss, still holding her arms around his neck as she leaned forward and rested her head against him.

"Of course its real Fox." she murmured, an all-knowing tone on her voice as one of her paws made its way down his chest, "I told you we'd be together remember? Don't act so surprised."

"No..." he replied shakily, looking down at the vixen for a brief moment before stepping back and pushing her away. "No! I don't love you!"

He watched as the fennec fox fell against the counter, her arm running along the edge of a knife she had been using and drawing blood. At first he almost felt concern for the vixen but then he remembered what she had done to him, what she had done to Krystal, and he realized that something as small as this wasn't anywhere near bad enough to stop Fara. And he knew he was right as he watched the fennec fox look down at her arm, the blood dripping from her brown fur and onto the floor, before she looked back up at him smiled.

__This is a nightmare. This is exactly what I was afraid of, this is what I knew she'd do.__

He backed away in fear as Fara flicked her arm towards the floor, spattering it with the red liquid before making her way towards the vulpine, a cynical, possessed look in her eyes.

"I never said you'd have to love me." she answered, continuing to step closer towards him as he backed away, "I just said I'd have you."

"No!" he cried back, his eyes locking onto the trail of blood that fell behind the vixen's arm before flashing back up to her crazed expression, "No! I chose Krystal not you! I love her!"

Surprisingly Fara stopped at this, bowing her head and smirking before finally allowing a sadistic laugh to rise from her. She raised her right arm and ran it across her forehead, covering her face in blood before looking back at the vulpine and licking her lips.

"You don't know what love is." the vixen replied darkly, stepping even closer. "You're only confused. But that's okay, that's why I'm here, I-

"Shut up!" he yelled at her, stepping forward as well and finally getting a look out of the vixen other than hate and obsession. "You're the one that's confused! You lost and you cant get past that! You refuse to believe that I'm going to spend my life with Krystal and not you so you're going to try and stop it from happening."

"Try?" she asked, that same amused smirk on her blood covered face, "It's already been done. The way I see it with her out of the picture I'm the only option you have left."

Before he could respond she stepped to the side, allowing the vulpine to see something that he would never be able to forget. He knew now that this was a dream, but it didn't make it any less traumatic. He would never be able to forget the sight before him no matter how hard he tried. And the look of satisfaction on Fara's face only made the sight even more horrific, as if the fennec fox was pleased with what she had done to the sapphire vixen.

He wanted to say something, he wanted to cry out in anger and rage, to strike Fara down until she could no longer move, but he didn't. He didn't do anything. His mind was frozen in agony as he looked across the room and took in the sight of his love before him. She wasn't the beautiful sapphire vixen he had first seen back on Sauria, not anymore. No, sapphire wasn't the right color anymore. He fell to his knees and then his hands before vomiting out anything his body couldn't hold, his mind still seeing the image of the destroyed vixen even though his eyes looked away.

"She lasted three months." Fara finally said, a touch of admiration on her tone, "I only wish it had been longer, I still had a few forms of payback I wanted to try on her."

Tears ran down his face and fell onto the floor as he struggled to breath. He knew this was a dream now but that didn't make this any less real. Somehow Fara had gotten inside of him and done this, she had put this pleasure into his thoughts and caused the vulpine to experience it while he slept, leaving him to suffer through every second.

"I'll kill you." he said softly, determined yet still too afraid of looking up again and seeing Krystal. "I will kill you for this Fara. I'll make you pay."

"No," she replied, surprising the vulpine by being right beside him, "You wont kill me. You'll love me. One way..." she whispered, running a claw down his muzzle, "or another."

He looked over at her, choking back a sob as he realized the fennec fox had been replaced now with the lifeless body of the sapphire vixen that he loved so dearly. He didn't want to think of what Fara had done to her, even if it had all been within a dream. It was too much to take in.

"I told you I'd make her suffer for hurting me." a voice whispered in his ear as he held onto the vixen's lifeless body and silently cried to himself, "I gave you a chance to choose me of your own free will and prevent all of this. Now it's too late. Now I'll make your dreams a reality."

His eyes locked onto the vixen's one final time, their emerald gaze now gray and lifeless as he continued to cry like a kit, begging his mind to end this torture and simply awaken from his slumber.

"Please...make it stop...

000

__I had no idea he was such a heavy sleeper.__

She had slid out of bed already and had expected him to wake up in the process, knowing he was always one of the earliest risers on the ship, but so far the vulpine had made no attempts at waking other than flicking his ears and whimpering a few times in his sleep. Part of her wanted to believe that it was because of their first night together like this that had put him in such a deep sleep, and she couldn't help but smile as she recalled the night before.

__We could have went further. I'm more than ready for something like that with him, but after all that's happened these past few days I think that taking it slow might be a better idea.__

She made her way out of his bedroom and quietly closed the door, knowing the lightest sound might still wake him or any of the other sleeping members of the team. It was still early, maybe 6am, and most of the team would sleep in on Sunday, even Peppy. It wasn't until she had reached her own room and was bending over to get clothes out of her dresser that she realized the pain in her stomach had become significantly less noticeable.

__Just being by his side all night made my problems disappear.__

She made her way back out into the hallway and towards the bathroom, choosing to focus on the night before rather than the fact that Fara was still out there somewhere planning her revenge.

__We can handle her, I know we can. She's lost already, she cant do anything to either of us as long as we've got each other.__

With that final thought on the matter she slid out of her jogging pants and shirt and stepped into the shower, letting her mind wander back to the previous night as the warm water ran down her fur. She couldn't remember when she had went into his room, only leaving her own after finally regaining consciousness and talking to Falco and Slippy. She had yet to see Katt, but thought she had sensed the pink feline in Falco's room once the night before.

Of course it was hard to focus on anything very clearly though when she had her arms around the vulpine and her tongue in his mouth. She had never known that it was possible to spend that much time confined to such a small space and still have that much fun. But with Fox on top, below, or beside her, she realized that it was in fact the only place she ever wanted to be from now on. It could have been 3 hours, or 5 hours, she couldn't remember. All she knew was that it was amazing. No they hadn't had sex, but they had done everything but, and she couldn't help but wish they had gone even further.

__It's not moving too fast, at least not for me. I've waited for too long, and after all that's happened these past few days I'm almost scared to wait any longer.__

Once again the fact that Fara was planning something crept into her thoughts and the vixen was forced to acknowledge that the fennec fox was more than just a threat. She was insane, obsessed, and out for revenge, and Krystal knew she wouldn't stop at anything in order to get what she wanted. Yet for some reason when she tried to feel concern or worry about it, there was little to none. Maybe it was because she finally had Fox that she felt like Fara wouldn't be a problem. Sure she was jealous and mad, and death was certainly an option for either side, but there was just something about having Fox on her side that made the matter all that less challenging.

__I don't know when or what she'll do, but we'll be ready.__

She leaned forward and washed the shampoo from her hair, allowing her mind to run wild with thoughts of both Fox and Fara, doing her best to keep them both on a leash and in control. It was a big deal, but after last night she found it hard to take anything seriously as it seemed her mind kept finding its way back into the vulpine's bed, her arms around his neck as she lay on top of him and expressed her love.

It must have been the neverending stream of thoughts such as these that kept the vixen from realizing that the door handle to the bathroom was being turned as someone attempted to get in. It wasn't until she heard three quick, urgent knocks against it that she realized someone was outside.

"Krystal!"

She recognized the voice all too easily and the urgency and concern behind it caused her to immediately turn off the water and grab a towel before stepping out of the shower and making her way over to the door.

"Fox what's-

No sooner had she gotten the door unlocked did he push up against her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he kissed with everything he had. While it surprised her she didn't bother deducing the vulpine's reasoning, instead allowing him to push her up against the wall as he kissed her even deeper, his arms pulling her tight as if he was afraid to ever let her go.

__My god, what has gotten into him? This is amazing, and I love it, but...why?__

Although she found it difficult she managed to slip into his mind, attempting to multitask between answering his loving embrace and searching his mind for a motive. Almost instantly she found it and couldn't help but feel worry for him as the images from the dream filled her mind as well. Yet there was something else she couldn't see, something that Fox had seen that he had blocked off from his mind to a point where even her telepathic powers couldn't see it.

__What could he have seen that scared him so badly?__

He must have known she would've looked into his thoughts to figure out why he felt the need to do this, but he also could care less. After experiencing that, all he wanted to do was prove his dream wrong the only way he knew how. One of his hands made its way up around her shoulders as he continued to urge her on, the vixen deciding to focus on this rather than the vulpine's thoughts, knowing he'd tell her if he wanted to. Regardless of motivation she still couldn't believe how passionate he was about this. Last night was amazing, but this was a whole new level compared to it.

__What was it? What has gotten him so shaken up?__

She hadn't noticed she was pushing back against him until they were on the floor, the vixen now laying on top of him, her wet hair hanging around his face as she continued to answer the vulpine's kiss. Even if he didn't tell her what had caused this, what had scared him so badly and put him in this state of fear, she __did __know how to make him feel better about it. Seconds turned into minutes but the embrace never seemed to lose anything as he pulled her close and continued to kiss her back, trying his hardest to forget the memories of his nightmare.

She didn't know when it was that he finally eased away, but she figured by then that her body had dripped dry and that the towel was no longer needed, not that she was complaining about it.

"I wont let her hurt you." he finally murmured, looking into her eyes and loving the life-filled beauty they had, "I wont let anyone hurt you. Ever."

She smiled and slowly leaned forward, kissing him softly once again before resting her head on his shoulder. "I know you won't Fox."

His hands made their way up to her shoulders where he held her tight for the next minute or so and she could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not to tell her about his dream and exactly what it was that scarred him. She figured he knew that she had already found the problem, that she knew it had been a bad dream. But as for what had __really __done the damage, the vixen realized that it was something that struck the vulpine deeper than her telepathic powers could ever reach. It had been bad, very bad. She could only do her best to help him to forget about it.

Another minute or so passed until finally the sound of another bedroom door opening caught their attention. She looked back and closed the door with her foot before returning her attention to him, both knowing that the moment of bliss was now at its end and that they would have to leave each others arms if only for a few minutes.

Sighing, he rolled over on top of her, giving her a soft kiss before lowering his arms to her waist again and pulling her with him as he stood up.

"Fox," she whispered, resting her head against his own, "Whatever it was...you can tell me."

She felt his grip on her tighten as the words left her mouth and she knew that he wouldn't be able to. Not without it doing more bad than good. But the fact that she had brought it up was enough and before he could reply she decided to just forget about it, leaning up and kissing him softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing the dark memories to the back of his mind once again.

__Maybe I don't need to know what it was, maybe I do. All I know is that he loves me and he'll only do what he thinks is best for me.__

"But only if you need to." she added, pulling away and smiling lightly at him.

He opened his mouth as if he was going to reply but then just decided against it, instead leaning forward and pulling her tight and whispering, "I just needed to say I love you more than life and I'll die before I let someone hurt you."

She returned the embrace, the pieces of the puzzle still nowhere near together but becoming a little clearer now. Whatever it was that he had seen it had involved her, and it had been traumatic enough to bring Fox McCloud, the powerful, fearless, mercenary leader of StarFox, to tears.

000


	24. Deception and Infiltration

000

From a distance the dreadnaught looked powerful and elegant, something that any captain would have been proud of to show off. But she knew better, she had been aboard it and seen how beaten up and poorly maintained it was. It wasn't fit to live on, much less fight with, but that was all he could afford and the fennec fox couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction as she imagined the day Fox would be living with her and no longer on that floating trash can with that Cerenian bitch.

Which wouldn't be long.

Her plan was already in motion and it was nothing short of full-proof. She watched in comforting silence as GreatFox touched down into the water, waves crashing around its hull as its powerful engines were cut off. They were on foot now, called down to Corneria thinking they had an appointment to see Pepper about a mission. It was almost too easy when she thought about it. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that every one of them was on the lookout for her, especially Fox and Krystal, but that only made it all so much more thrilling. She was the predator and they were her prey.

It was as if her mind had honed in its skills as an animal now, only focusing on what it had to do to get what it wanted, not caring how drastic the measures. They'd head right back for the ship once they realized there was never a meeting to be had with Pepper, but she counted on that. She counted on their paranoia to ensure a quick and speedy retreat to the secluded safety of space, every one of them knowing she was out there somewhere, watching and waiting.

The ship had docked and even from the roof of the building she was on she could see the small brown spec that was Fox, followed by either Falco or Krystal and finally Slippy. Which meant two of them were staying behind. Staying on guard. For her.

She knew her time was limited, that the military's main base was just a few miles away from the airport, so she wasted no time in turning towards the stairway, grabbing the black duffel back on the ground beside her. There was so much damage she could do, with so many other weapons of choice, yet she stayed with this. Everything she'd need was in this bag.

__I'll be there soon my love...then we can finally be together. Forever.__

Minutes later she was on the streets, making her way block to block as she neared the waterway that ships such as GreatFox landed on. She sported a long black trench coat over her usual attire (See my profile for a picture, I promise you this will help you with the story) with a pair of sunglasses as well, knowing that stealth was the key to this part of her plan. Of course she'd get aboard the ship, one way or another, but that wasn't the fun part. No. The fun wouldn't begin until they were back out in space and had nowhere left to run.

The streets were somewhat crowded but as she made her was through the final busy intersection the traffic dropped significantly and she was soon more exposed than she liked. GreatFox was only a few hundred yards away now and from what she could tell no one was around it other than the crew that had helped secure the docking process.

__Unless they left while I was out of view there should only be two of them aboard. Katt, and either Peppy or that bitch.__

Her heart and mind were still obsessed with making the sapphire vixen pay for doing this, the anger still raged within her as she realized by now what the vulpine and her had probably done. It drove her mad every second of the day and she found herself wishing more and more that she had just killed the bitch back in the elevator when she had the chance. But time passed and that anger slowly turned into a cold, neverending pain that fueled her every thought and action. Part of her knew she was off the deep end now but she didn't care.

All that mattered now was getting to them and making them pay. Then taking what was hers and never letting go of it again.

Close to ten minutes had passed since the dreadnaught had landed and she figured she still had a good 30 until the three of them returned. Her fake message had worked flawlessly, the financially desperate vulpine eagerly agreeing to meet with General Pepper to discuss a mission around Fichina. The fact that the official telling him the message had a gun to his head didn't matter. The fact that the official who had tricked Fox McCloud into bringing GreatFox into port was now more than likely getting his toe tagged by a mortician, didn't matter.

There had been no reason at all to kill the German shepherd. He had perfectly delivered the vixen's message to Fox, despite having a gun to his head the entire time. Fox had believed him and her plan had been put into motion, all thanks to that soldier who was caught in the middle of it all. No. There had been no reason to kill him. But she __had __to. It wasn't because he would have reported it to security, they would have found the camera's feed had been cut only minutes before. No, it was because she loved the way it felt.

Killing felt amazing. It sent chills of joy down her spine, it gave her a hot, lusty feeling when she thought about it. Pulling the trigger and taking a life, just like that, it was amazing. Of course it was sick, it was wrong and twisted. But not to her. Not to this Fara. Not anymore. It was only luck that the news of the soldier's death hadn't reached Fox before he had landed, the only flaw in the triggering of her plan. But she knew he'd waste absolutely no time in coming to meet Pepper. He was broke and needed help. Help that not even Krystal could give him.

Help that only __she __could give him.

She switched the duffel bag over to her other shoulder before crossing the street and walking alongside the metal rails that ran along he sidewalk. Only a few inches to her left was the river that ran into the city and gave it nourishment. It was as deep as it was wide, perfect for so many uses like fishing, plumbing, boating, and in her case, sneaking. She knew there was another entrance into the ship other than the main exit out the front, but she also knew she'd have to get wet to get to it.

__You make it so easy for me Fox. It's like you know you've screwed up and you want me to come fix everything.__

Now within 50 yards of the dreadnaught she casually looked around to see if anyone was watching her, but the parallel street was practically deserted and no other ships were anywhere close. Not skipping a beat the fennec fox threw the sunglasses and trench coat to the ground and jumped over the railing, spinning forward and silently diving into the water. The bag was military grade and was probably more airtight than GreatFox itself, but it did make swimming somewhat harder. But this Fara could handle with ease.

A week ago she wouldn't have been able to hold her breath even __half __this long. She was twice the fox she had been before Fox had left her. She wasn't sure what snapped inside of her, but whatever it was, when it did it released a part of her that couldn't be restrained. Never again would she be the Fara Phoenix that had fallen in love with Fox McCloud all those years ago, and never again would she lose him to anyone else.

Fifty yards was a good distance to swim but the longer she stayed under, the more her body screamed for air and demanded she surface, the more alive she felt, and she found the thrill it gave her was one she couldn't get enough of. Pain was no longer pain if it was for Fox. No, it was pleasure. Anything that she had to suffer through to have him wouldn't register as pain, only a hot thrill that she wanted more and more of. Finally she reached the side of the ship, surfacing and drawing air for what felt like the first time in forever.

She had done her homework, she knew everything about this ship and how it was put together. She knew there was an accessory hatch at the back of the ship, directly beside the single escape pod that resided on the port side of the cargo bay. She knew that it was designed for maintenance purposes as it led to the back side of the ship's massive engines and that anyone could get in from the outside. Only in her case she wasn't floating in space, nor was the ship hoisted off the ground as it would have been on land, so she had dive down once more, get it open, get inside, and close it before water flooded the whole cargo bay.

__Piece of cake. Anything for you Fox...__

Smiling to herself she took another breath and put the plan into motion, not wasting any time at all finding the hatch at the bottom side of the rear of the ship. The pressure on it made the opening process as hard as she knew it would be yet it didn't stop her. Her strength came from obsession and love, anger and hate, and it turned her into something else. She bared her fangs in determination, the reserved oxygen leaving her lungs as she exalted it in her efforts to throw open the hatch.

Slowly it turned to the left, second after desperate second. Nearly a minute had passed and it seemed the longer it took the more powerful she became. This wasn't going to stop her. She'd been through too much to give up now. This was for Fox. She __would __get to him again, soon, and when she did she'd make him realize just how much more she loved him than Krystal. Her whole body screamed for air but she refused to surface, the black latch still slowly turning against the massive amount of pressure that the water put against it. She could see her vision growing black, but the more it grew the more she saw Fox with that Cerenian bitch and she refused to stop.

__I...will...not...quit!__

As the final word made its way through her mind the latch finally slipped and she was pulled inside, immediately using the last of her energy to hang onto the hatch and pull it back around and secure it into place. The black duffel bag hit the floor, soaking wet but its inventory still dry and secure. She followed suit, hitting her knees and coughing up water as she struggled to catch her breath. She had been submerged a good two minutes at least, a time that would seem impossible to match by anyone else. But not for her. Not this Fara.

Seconds passed as she rested on one knee, her body drenched in the salty water as she slowly dripped dry. It had taken a lot out of her and she knew she'd need to rest a little while before making her next move. But that was the glory of it all now. She was aboard, she was back within sight of him and her. She could hide in the shadows and wait now, wait until they were far away from help, until they let their guard down and had their backs turned. One by one she'd terrorize them.

Around her she noticed only a few gallons worth of water had made its way inside, but it was spreading and fading fast. She was sure no one would come this far back into the ship for a good while and by then any sign of her entry would be long gone. She took a final breath before standing up and looking around. Common sense would have told her from the outside where she would end up, but she had known all along it would be the cargo bay. It was pathetically empty, only housing a few pallets of junk and parts for their Arwings, nothing of any significance.

Grabbing the duffel bag she made her way over to the exit, listening intently for any signs of life on the other side of the wall. She could hear the faint sound of a television and figured it was from the lounge, but was too far away to tell for sure. She contemplated sneaking onward now while there were only two of them aboard, but thought better of it after noticing the trail of water that dripped behind her. She had no doubts of her success at this point. They wouldn't catch her before they got into space. Actually, if things went as planned they wouldn't catch her at all, not until it was far too late.

So she would wait. They would return, disappointed and suspicious as she knew they'd be, and leave port for the safety and comfort of space. She knew Fox couldn't afford to keep GreatFox at bay for the night, it was too expensive to rent a port for that long, at least for him. So it wouldn't be long. They would leave Corneria once more and await her next move, thinking they were safe as long as they could see her coming. Her final words to them both had been enough to keep Fox and blue vixen on alert at all times. They knew what she was capable of, they had experienced it first hand and she was sure they had told the rest of the team.

They would be looking for her from the outside, ever vigilant and waiting for her move. Yet already they had failed to stop her and the fennec fox couldn't help but grin to herself as she dropped the duffel bag to the floor once again, sliding it under the stairway that led up to the storage room door. She sat down next to it, hidden in the darkness as she continued to imagine how her plan would work out. Before long Krystal would be regretting everything she had ever said and done to him, and Fox would regret falling for it all.

She rested her head against the wall, her ears perked as she stayed vigilant while allowing herself to slip into a light state of sleep. She was so calm and at ease in the middle of it all, not because she had the element of surprise, but because she knew nothing could stop her at this point. All that stood in her way now was time.

__And that is all I've got.__

000


	25. Disappointing News and Tough Decisions

000

"I'm sorry Mr...McCloud, but I am seeing no scheduled appointments with anyone under your name or the name StarFox."

The vulpine's paws rested on opposite sides of the secretary's desk as he tried to figure out what had went wrong. He remembered the message clear as day. He had been laying on the sofa with Krystal by his side enjoying the moment for everything it was worth when all of the sudden Peppy poked his head inside the lounge from the bridge and told him he had an incoming transmission. He sighed and, after kissing the vixen on the cheek and sharing a grin, trudged down the hall past the bridge and into the command post.

__It doesn't make any sense.__

It had seemed like a legit message too. The soldier was a German shepherd wearing the traditional blue on-duty military clothing that Corneria's troops sported. He was in one of the main offices outside the base, the vulpine could remember seeing the room around him, though it was oddly dark now that he thought about it. But the dog had seemed perfectly honest and truthful when he relayed the message.

"You've been requested to attend a meeting with General Pepper, leader of the Cornerian forces. He wishes to discuss the possibility of your team taking on a mission as soon as possible. I've not been informed of the details and was instructed only to relay the request to your ship."

"A mission?" he had murmured in response, eagerness and relief slowly making its way into his body at the possibility of earning some credits, "Of course!" he answered sharply, nodding at the canine. "Tell General Pepper we accept and that we'll be there by...5pm later this evening."

His excitement had gotten the best of him and he had cut the transmission short, never noticing the pleading look in the dog's eyes as Fara stood just feet away with her blaster pulled. All that he knew was that they finally had a chance to get paid for something, to be able to afford food and repairs, to make their lives a little better. No time was wasted either, the vulpine turning around and immediately setting a course for Corneria as fast as the dreadnaught's engines could take them.

So now that they were here...where was Pepper?

"I'm sorry sir," the cat repeated, looking over her computer, "But General Pepper has been away on leave these past few days and isn't due back until next week. He has no appointments until then. Perhaps you got the wrong-

"But I received a message from a soldier, he was inside the base in the communications wing, I recognized it plain as day...

Interrupting the feline only caused her to narrow her gaze in annoyance and he realized that whatever he said to her now would be pointless. So there had been a mistake or some sort of mix up. They'd have to go back out into space and burn all that valuable fuel only to wait a few hours for Pepper to send another message their way asking where the hell they were, and this time hopefully giving them a bit more insight as to where to go to meet him.

"I can leave a message for the General when he returns if you'd like."

"Please."

With that he sighed and turned around, Falco and Slippy following him, neither sure of what to say to the disappointed fox. It still didn't make any sense to him. They had been messaged by one of Pepper's troops, a high ranking one at that if he was in the main headquarters, telling them that Pepper wanted to meet with them as soon as possible to discuss a mission. Yet when they get here it turns out Pepper is on leave, maybe not even on the same planet, and certainly not expecting Fox or his team.

__So what's going on?__

"Really needed a mission," he finally said out loud, exiting the base and heading down the sidewalk, "So much stuff needs to be fixed and paid for."

"Don't forget food." Falco added, stepping alongside him. "Hell I've skipped breakfast for the last three days. This morning I was wondering if I could eat that food magazine laying in the lounge."

He could tell that Falco was serious but not alone on the matter. All of them had cut back, more than he'd like. Sure personally his life was amazing right now, he had Krystal to wake up to every morning, to hold her and tell her loved her, to kiss her and breath in her scent any time he wanted. That was perfect. But he wanted to make life better for her. She deserved to be treated like a goddess and here she was living on a tin can of a ship, rationing food and praying for any type of work that they could get.

He almost felt embarrassed to be honest. And even though he still hated her more than anything else, he couldn't help but wonder he had stayed with Fara just a few minutes longer if he would have gotten a few more bills paid. But in his mind he knew he wouldn't go back and try that. It was too risky. How things had worked out the way they did was a miracle and there was no way he'd ever try to change it.

__We've got problems now though. I know Fara is out there, I know she's going to try something. I don't know how far she will go, but after what she did to Krystal in the elevator...after what she did to Krystal in my dream...__

He shook his head and continued walking, wishing he hadn't remembered his nightmare from the night before. It had been tormenting him every time he closed his eyes and it made him want to lash out at Fara for doing what she did. But he had no idea where she was or when she'd strike. They'd just have to wait, to keep their guard up and pray that whatever she does they can take it and fight it off.

__She's not right anymore. She's insane. I don't know what she'll do to me, but I know what she wants to do to Krystal. Not just because of the dream, but because of what she told me. But I wont let her. I promised Krystal I would protect her, that I wouldn't let anything hurt her again. Surely I can keep that promise.__

That same promise was the reason why the vixen was currently on the ship with Peppy and Katt and not on the streets with the rest of them. He didn't know where Fara was but Corneria was a safe bet considering its where her money was best spent and put to use. In fact he had been hesitant about coming here at all, thinking that at least out in space they'd be able to see an attack coming. But here there were shadows to hide in, places to watch from, and he knew that the safest place for Krystal right now was on GreatFox.

"Yoohoo...Fox?"

The vulpine looked over at Slippy, his mind pushing his worrisome thoughts away as he replied, "Oh, yeah, what now?"

"You okay?" the toad asked, narrowing his gaze at Fox's distraught expression.

"Yeah I'm fine," he answered, shrugging and forcing a grin, "Just a little tired...and hungry," he added, jerking his head towards Falco. "What was it you were saying?"

Slippy wasn't content with the vulpine's answer but he knew that he wouldn't get anything else from him so decided to continue, "I was just saying that we'll need to start powering down the engines at night when possible in order to conserve fuel and energy...at least until we have a few more credits to put forward to maintenance."

He couldn't help but sigh in annoyance at yet another sacrifice they'd all have to make. At this pace he couldn't tell who to be more afraid of; Fara, starvation, or pneumonia. Without power the ship would get chilly during the night, well, it wouldn't if the hull was as airtight as it should have been, but that was another problem he'd have to fix later. He looked up and seen the dreadnaught in the far distance and couldn't help but wonder if it was taking on water at the moment.

"Just the engines or...

"As much as we can."

Swallowing another sigh of disappointment the vulpine merely put his hands behind his head and continued walking on, the direness of the situation his life was in becoming more stressful by the minute. Not only were their lives in danger from a personal threat, but a natural one as well. Fara __would__ do something, the knot of fear in his stomach ever constantly reminding him of that. But in addition to her there were so many other things going wrong. And in the middle of it all there was only one bright spot he could seem to find.

__At least I've got her.__

"Fine then," he murmured, looking up at the orange sky and trying to sound optimistic, "Cut everything you can but is it possible to put a timer on the engines? I'd like to keep the ship from getting too cold or the oxygen levels getting too low. Just in case."

Slippy nodded, "Sure, I'll have them fire up once or twice in the early AM for an hour or so."

"I still don't understand what happened here." Falco added, stepping ahead of them and turning around and walking backwards, "You said you got a message from one of Pepper's boys telling us to come to Corneria. Today? This afternoon? Not tomorrow right?"

"Yes Falco, yes yes yes. I promise you that's what he said."

"Uh huh," the avian answered, putting a wing over his head, "Well apparently someone was wrong, and ya know what I think?"

"What do you think Falco?" the vulpine asked, casting Slippy a grin.

"Ha ha," he replied mockingly, "Make fun of me now, but I know what's happening. You're losing it over Krystal aren't you?"

Fox instantly looked up, his face reddening at the comment concerning him and the vixen.

"She's driving you crazy isn't she?" Falco continued teasingly, "I've seen her leave your room in those tight little shirts and shorts. You cant think straight anymore."

"Falco we've only been together for a week!"

"It's worse than I thought!" he laughed back, his tone somewhat serious and joking at the same time.

"Oh please like you and Katt didn't get anything done while we were gone!"

The bird's laughing stopped at this and the three of them froze, Fox and Falco's little game causing them both to turn red as Slippy watched from the sideline, trying not to laugh.

"How did you...we didn't do...

"Please." the vulpine replied, stepping past the bird and continuing on, "Katt and Krystal talk all the time, don't you think she tells me your little secrets as well?"

He couldn't help but enjoy this guy talk, just the three of them smack talking each other and laughing. Despite all his problems at the moment at least there were a few things he could find comfort in, and this was one of them. He knew that Falco had been much happier the past few days, Katt as well, and finally after hinting to Krystal about it the vixen spilled the news. He wasn't surprised though, he had seen it coming. So both he and Falco had the love of their life by their side now, and Slippy had Amanda back at home. Peppy's wife was on Corneria as well, meaning every one of them had someone in their life, the only problem now was making those lives better.

"Just do me a favor and keep it down at night okay?" he added, turning the falcon's face red in annoyance and embarrassment.

"Yeah yeah whatever. You got me and I got you, can we change the subject now?"

"Hey you started it."

__Let's just get back to the ship and get things straightened out. I don't like being away from her too long, not with Fara out there. Once we're out in space again I can relax.__

Right?

000

She heard them return before seeing them, which was actually a good thing considering her stealth was completely necessary at this point. Gently she slid out from under the stairway, padding up the steps and placing an ear on the door, listening down the hall for any sounds or words she could make out.

__It's been long enough, that should be them. Which means my time is almost here.__

She had remained concealed in the darkness underneath the staircase for the last few hours, awaiting the return of her vulpine and whoever he had taken with him. By now she had figured out that both Katt and Krystal were still on the ship, her trained nose and ears catching their scent pass by the door a few times. What she didn't know was who the third was. Either Peppy or Slippy, but it didn't matter, it was just for fun that she was trying to figure it out, to pass the time as she thought about exalting her revenge upon the sapphire fox over and over again.

Her mind was completely shut off from her telepathic powers at this point, she had made sure of perfecting that art before anything else. That Cerenian bitch wouldn't catch her that way, no. She'd have to forget her freakish power and fight her the real way, the way she didn't stand a chance with. She played it over in her mind time and time again, picturing her hand grabbing the vixen by the throat, holding her down on the floor and watching her squirm and gasp for breath as insufferable pain overtook her. It would be a dream come true.

__Before long...__

She slid the door open, her advanced hearing telling her that no one was even on this side of the ship as she allowed herself to slide out the door and quickly down the hall, her lithe form sticking to the shadows perfectly. She climbed the second set of stairs and found herself on the other side of the control room. The stairwell was dark but that played into her advantage as she allowed herself to lean against the wall and stare through the window. From this angle she could see down the bridge and from there the corner that rounded into the lounge.

She watched in satisfaction as Fox and Falco walked by, finally followed by Slippy as they three returned from their wild goose chase. She could all too easily see the disappointment in his eyes but that only told her that the plan had worked, that he had been turned away and reminded that he still had no credits to spend on his ship or team. But none of that would soon play a part in his life. No. Before long the only thing he'd have to worry about pleasing would be her.

She watched as Slippy rounded the corner once more, heading now straight towards the control room, but Fara held her position, trusting the darkness to keep her brown fur cloaked behind the window. Behind Slippy came Fox and holding his hand was Krystal. Fara's gaze narrowed and her fists clenched in anger as she watched the vixen kiss him on the cheek, smiling and mouthing out the three words that she knew were a lie. But the vulpine fell for them nonetheless, returning the kiss and squeezing her hand.

__I'll make you pay for that as well. I'll make you suffer for every word you ever said to him, you'll be begging me to kill you before I'm done.__

Part of her knew that in her current state she could take them all right then and there. Her blaster would take Slippy, Peppy, Falco, and Katt with ease. She had no doubt in her abilities to kill them, but it was Fox and that bitch that she would have to only injure. Maybe she'd shoot Fox in the leg or waist to keep him on the ground then she'd turn to Krystal and do what she had done so many times before in her mind. She'd drop her blaster and take the vixen on right then and there. She'd break her ribs and crack her bones, she'd beat her face in until she was unrecognizable by anyone. Her blaster wouldn't be needed, only her own body. It was the best weapon she had, and it would be more than enough to kill Krystal.

__But only in time...__

"Readying for takeoff," Slippy said over the P.A. System, causing a smirk to overtake the fennec fox's gaze.

Fox and Krystal had joined him in the control room, the door the only thing separating the 8 feet between them. She knew she could do it now, that she could have the vulpine's body, heart, and mind all to her liking in a matter of minutes if she chose to do so. But that wasn't how it would go. Her mind was obsessed with exacting its revenge in the most horrific way possible, and that way was slow, painful, and well thought out. No. She would wait a few hours more until they were out in space, alone and trapped. Then she'd make her move. On every single one of them.

__Your time is almost up.__

000


	26. Trapped In Space: Begin

000

"...and we're...clear!"

As the final word left Slippy's mouth the blue vixen immediately felt the ship's engines die down, momentum doing all the work for them now that they were back in space. She cast a glance through the windows across the hanger at the giant blue planet that was Corneria, its form slowly getting smaller and smaller as they returned to their previous coordinates around Sauria. The mission they all had been wanting so badly had been either a misinterpretation or a lie, either way the look of disappointment on Fox's face as he returned made her heart drop.

As if worrying about whatever the hell Fara had up her sleeve they also had to focus on simply keeping the ship, and themselves, alive. She couldn't help but allow a shiver of fear to trickle down her spine as she remembered the beast that had overtaken the fennec fox in the elevator. She didn't want to admit she was scared of Fara, and she didn't have to because she wasn't. If it were Fara Phoenix she was up against she wouldn't falter in the least. But they weren't up against Fara anymore, they were up against something else.

__I felt the change in her. I couldn't get in her mind but I felt her aura completely shift, its like she became a completely different fox. Something far worse than what she used to be.__

Although neither of them had spoken about it much since then she knew that Fox felt the same way. All these other problems, the lack of food, credits, repairs, they all seemed so much more insignificant compared to what was before them. Maybe even Fox didn't know the extremity of the situation, maybe he didn't catch on to how truly insane and obsessed Fara had been those last few seconds they had been with her, and if he didn't maybe it was for the best. But Krystal knew, she had seen the look of malice in her eyes, the determination mixed with satisfaction and obsession that overtook the fennec fox with every punch she landed into the vixen's ribcage. It was with this knowledge that she wished money and food were the only problems they had to face right now.

She felt a presence behind her but before she could turn to confront it she felt two hands wrap around her waist, the vulpine's familiar scent filling her nostrils as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, softly running a hand along her still somewhat bruised belly.

"Much better now." she answered, reaching over her head and pulling his face down to meet hers before connecting their mouths.

A playful growl escaped him before he finally pulled out and turned her around, his paws still around her waist as he rested his head against hers. "Glad I could help."

She laughed in response, loving this new playful side to Fox that had never had the nerve to show itself around her. It had been like this the past few days and she wasn't sure if he was acting so lovingly towards her because of their newly acquired relationship or as a way of taking the stress off the more important matters at hand that neither of them wanted to face. Either way she loved it, and since Falco and Katt finally admitted their new status she found it easier to act this way around not only Fox but the pink feline and her mate as well.

__We're just like a bunch of teenagers again. A bunch of poor, hungry, paranoid teenagers.__

"Listen...it's getting pretty late, I was wondering if you'd like to...ya know...

"I would love to Fox." she replied with a smirk, leaning forward and kissing the vulpine.

__It's been a week but he's still so shy around me, even after we've told each other how we feel. Is he really that crazy over me?__

She smiled at the thought, glad that there was a possibility that he felt as much towards her as she did him. She also realized that there was no way Fara could have ever had this type of relationship with the vulpine, not this strong, and she never would. After everything she had done to him her chances were ruined forever. And she knew it.

__Which will make her even more dramatic when the time comes for her to try something.__

She told herself to not worry about it for now, to only focus on taking stride with the fox beside her and following him to his bedroom where she'd fall asleep by his side yet again. Fara wasn't a problem yet, but it wouldn't be long. But as long as they were out here in space, as long as their shields were up and radar functioning, they'd see her coming and they'd have a chance to put up a fight.

"Great." came his only reply, pulling out of the kiss and grinning at her before slowly walking down the bridge and towards the lounge.

The rest of the team had dispersed after takeoff, not bothering to stay with her, Fox, and Slippy as they burned through Corneria's atmosphere. It wasn't that late, maybe 8pm, but that was normal time for Peppy to turn in. As for Falco and Katt well, she didn't have to let her mind float too far in order to figure out why they had slipped away to the pink cat's room. She admired their willingness to just jump right into that phase and part of her wished Fox would do the same, and he would, but in time. She didn't want it to seem like bragging, but she knew that what her and Fox had was so much stronger than what her best friend had with Falco.

__And when we do reach that point I know it will be nothing short of extraordinary.__

They met Slippy coming from the lounge, the toad leaving the two foxes alone earlier as he left the control room, but now heading back in that direction, a somewhat disappointed look in his gaze as he held a few tools in his hand.

"You going to need any help?" the vulpine asked as they met him.

"Nah, it should be a quick little job, I'll be done in a few minutes. Just don't be surprised if you feel a few jerks or tugs when I kill the engines." Slippy replied, admiring one of his wrenches.

"And you remember what I said about letting them fire back up a few times in the early morning right?"

"Yep. I got it covered. I figured since the generators run off stored power we'll have electricity on the ship as long as I have the engines power up ever 3 hours for exactly 45 minutes. In that time the generators should recharge and the oxygen tanks should refill, not that they'll be that low."

__What in the hell are they talking about? Powering down the ship?__

"Perfect. That sounds great Slip. I know no one wants to have to do this but it's the only way we can afford to keep this old tin can functioning for a few more weeks." Fox answered, patting the white wall that ran waist high down the sides of the bridge.

"Yeah..." the toad replied, somewhat sadly, "Well, anyways, I'll get on it!" he added as if trying to cover up for his disappointed attitude, "Good night guys!"

"Good night." they echoed in response as Slippy continued down the hall and into the control room and eventually the door on the other side.

"What's going on Fox?" she asked, turning back towards him and taking his paw as they continued on.

"I'm having Slippy put the ship on a power plan so we don't burn as much fuel overnight. The engines will be shut down for a few hours every night, hopefully that will save me some credits." he replied, looking ahead and narrowing his gaze as he thought about the plan.

She frowned and rested her head on his shoulder, knowing all too well what kind of shape they all were in. Times were tough right now, and to boot Fara wanted to kill, no, destroy her. That little problem continued to place a knot in both foxes stomachs as they continued to do their best to push it away and simply worry about the matter when the time came. She began to reply to him, to say something reassuring and promising that would make him feel better, but only a single word managed to escape her before an icy, dark, sick feeling overtook her entire body.

She froze in her tracks, her hand pulling loose from Fox's as he continued to walk on before stopping and looking back at her in curiosity. But he was the farthest thing from her mind at the moment. The only thing the vixen could think of right now was the bone-chilling darkness that had swept into her thoughts and froze her in her tracks. Behind her Slippy had opened the doorway that led out of the control room and into the stairway that led down into the lower floor of GreatFox, and as he had done so that feeling, that presence had seeped through and her telepathic powers had caught it.

__What is this? It's horrible! I don't know what it is, I cant tell if its real or dead but its so sick and twisted...__

In her mind all she saw was darkness for the most part, only two red specs in the far distance seemingly staring right back at her, and even though she could see nothing else of it she knew it was smiling at her. Not a smile of friendliness, but a smile of satisfaction, of hunger and lust. But as soon as the image appeared it seemed to flash away, leaving its permanent scar her the vixen's thoughts as she recalled the absolutely twisted feeling it was giving off.

"Krystal are you okay?"

She didn't hear him the first time, her eyes still wide in shock and fear as the image remained burned into her thoughts, the sick feeling it gave her settling in her stomach and telling the vixen that whoever or whatever it was intended to do something awful, and soon. But finally the feeling seemed to fade, the door behind her closing and cutting off whatever it was her telepathy had regretfully picked up.

"Krystal? Are you-

"Yeah I'm fine." she replied, interrupting the vulpine without noticing.

"Are you sure?" he asked, stepping up to her and resting his paws on her shoulders, "You look kind of sick all the sudden."

"It's nothing," she assured him, forcing a smile and taking his paw, "I just need to lie down and rest."

She could tell he was still doubtful of her answer but she also knew he wouldn't press her any further about it, another part of him that she loved so dearly. Instead he merely nodded and stepped closer to her, rounding the corner and heading into the lounge and then down the hall towards his room. She wasn't sure what it was that had made her feel like that back there, whether it was just a memory or an actual creature giving off such a darkness, but she knew one thing; whatever it was, it needed to be removed from existence because it only had one intention on its mind.

Killing.

000

__It is time.__

Her eyes were narrowed as she stared at the floor out in front of her, her back resting against the cold metal of the wall behind the stairway in the storage room. Ever since they had taken off she had been sitting here brooding, thinking and planning about what she would do once this time came. Now it was here. Now those thoughts could be made into actions and her lust for body and blood would be satisfied. Almost mechanically she rose from her position, one hand grasping the strap of the black duffel bag, the other clenching her 7 inch Ka-Bar knife. From the outer view she looked like an assassin who bore no remorse and would stop at absolutely nothing to kill everyone who had wronged her.

And she was.

They had been in space almost 3 hours now but she had waited. Despite every fiber of her being telling her just go and get it over with, to just get out in the open and kill them all any way she chose, she remained hidden. Until now. Now they were all asleep, or at least close. It was nearing midnight and there seemed to be no signs of life on the ship, not even the distant idle of the engines reached her, which almost struck her as weird, but at this point she really didn't care. To anyone else hidden down in the dark corridors of the ship it would have been nothing short of frightening, but to her it was home.

The contents of the duffel bag would soon come into play, but they wouldn't be noticed until it was too late. She didn't need them though, they were only for shits and giggles at this point, to add salt to the wounds she had already inflicted. That she was about to inflict. The blaster rested in its holster but she didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary, preferring the satisfying sound of steel slicing open skin rather than the loud rang the gun gave off. She would utilize stealth as much as possible.

__The more I get before they notice the more fear I'll strike into those who remain.__

She had a plan in mind as to how it would all end, a special plan that was almost too cliché for her liking. But it seemed proper and it would only solidify her victory once it went down, but that was still a little while off. For now she had to simply get the plan in motion. She opened the door and listened down the hallway, knowing she'd hear nothing. Without making a sound she went down the hall, skipping the stairway that led up into the command post and instead reaching the door that led into the engine room.

She slid inside the door, seeing the vaguely familiar sight that was the massive interior functions of GreatFox's power. The engines were silent, not running at all and the fennec fox wondered if something was wrong with the ship, perhaps that its shitty conditions were finally catching up with it. She only chuckled to herself, making a mental note to keep an eye out for someone in case they came down here to check it out.

In the middle of the room rested the controls, almost set up like a small computer where one could change the power settings and the many various other essential functions of the ship. But she didn't bother them. That's not how she wanted it to go down. No. She'd inflict her own damage first, by hand. Afterward things might change, but not until she filled her blood-lust.

She walked around the controls to their back side, removing the panel that led to their inner controls. She then turned to the black bag, unzipping it and pulling out the first black, 1x1inch box. She stared at it admiringly, knowing that only this single one would do enough damage to bring down a heavy class cruiser, much less this piece of shit ship. Regardless she pulled out 4 more, setting them side by side and wiring them together.

The bag wasn't empty yet but this part of her plan was done. She reached forward and flipped a switch on the first box, a red timer flicking to life and telling her that she had 2 hours on the clock before it obliterated the dreadnaught.

__I'm the only one who knows these are here. If...no. Hahaha that wont happen.__

She had almost began to think that even if she failed in her mission they'd all still die from the explosion, but her mind knew better. She wouldn't fail. Failure wasn't an option. Only death was an option, and it wouldn't be her own. Not for a long time.

She stood back up, leaving the bag where it lay and pulling out her Ka-Bar, admiring the silver gleam along its teeth, begging to taste blood and the vixen promising to answer its prayers. She held it up to the light and smirked, imagining it all going down in her head now one last time before the real thing went began. This is what they'd get for fucking with her. This is the payback she'd deliver to them for making her feel this way, for causing her so much pain and suffering. Yet by the end of this her pain, her suffering would be nothing compared to that bitch's, and it would be ever so sweet for every second that it lasted.

Lowering the knife she took a single step forward, immediately freezing in her tracks as the lights went out, leaving her coated in darkness. Now the ship was completely and utterly silent and black, floating dead in space with zero signs of live aboard from its sleeping and silent passengers.

__I get it. Shut the engines down in order to save a little fuel my love? Well don't you worry, this won't stop me. I love playing in the dark, and I've prepared for this moment, just in case.__

Had you been standing across the room in the doorway you would have seen nothing but darkness at first, but had you managed to keep your eyes open in this moment of terror you would have gotten to witness the heart stopping scene that played out as time passed. Fara straightened her stance and looked across the room, her eyes now nothing more than red specs as the contacts did their job and gave her perfect vision in the pitch black. It was their only flaw yet she loved it. She had looked at herself in the mirror at home before leaving, she had watched her eyes slowly grow red as the lenses came to life, she had smirked in satisfaction as she felt a chill run down her own spine at the sight before her.

She was a beast and she knew it. She was nothing like she'd been before, no, she was much better, faster, stronger. She was unstoppable, and she would get what she wanted no matter what it took. From the outside world she represented hate and darkness as a whole. She __was__ obsession. She __was __revenge. She was everything Krystal could never be, and Fox would find that out.

"Before morning things will be much different."

000


	27. Three Down

000

__Room number one.__

Stealth was the key, it was the whole basis on which her plan would rely on, for every step, every breath, every tiny little movement she made, it all relied on silence. So far she had achieved that goal, having made her way up from the lower floor of the dreadnaught and through the bridge and lounge despite it being pitch black. The contacts did their job perfectly, her view almost as good now as it would've been in the middle of the day even though the rest of her body cloaked entirely.

The only indication that the fennec fox was even there was the red glow that illuminated from her gaze, a deep blood-red ring residing above each of her pupils and finalizing her transformation into the monster she truly was. Her thumb continued to run up and down along the blade of her Ka-Bar, shudders of pleasure escaping within her as she imagined the feeling of the same knife impacting that Cerenian bitch. It was all she wanted and it took every bit of self control to keep from going straight to her room first, but she would stick to the plan.

__I'll get everyone else first, then her, then him...__

She slid up beside the first door in the hallway on the right, knowing that Peppy was sleeping within. This one would be the easiest she knew, he would be the heaviest sleeper of them all and no challenge in the least, but that wouldn't stop her. She'd have to get some sort of satisfaction out of this, she couldn't wait any longer, it had been bottled up inside of her for almost a week now and the blood-lust was driving her even further from sanity. It wasn't Peppy's blood she wanted, she wouldn't kill him at first, but there was a reason behind that. There was a reason she wouldn't kill any of them until later, and it would be worth it.

She slowly slid the door shut behind her, working the handle perfectly and allowing no sound to escape from it as it locked itself into the strike plate. Smirking to herself the vixen turned and stood straight, confidently rotating the knife around in her right hand as she stepped across the room towards the sleeping hare. This was too easy and she almost felt a tinge of pity for the old rabbit, but no sooner did the feeling arrive was it erased as the image of Krystal kissing Fox filled her mind yet again, reapplying the rage and hate throughout her.

Now she was at the side of the bed, casually looking around the room and carelessly looking at the memorabilia that resided within it. There was a lot of memories here, be it in photos, papers, or sentimental objects, but now there would be a new one. Leaning forward she rested her muzzle beside the sleeping rabbit's face before whispering,

"Peppy...

At first she wasn't sure if he had heard her, or if he'd even stir, but surprisingly his eyes almost instantly flew open as he was pulled from his slumber. Wanting to drag it out just a little longer she stepped back, a malicious smirk on her face as she hid her eyes from the hare, knowing that he couldn't see anything at all in this pitch blackness. She watched as he sat up in the bed and looked around, squinting but seeing absolutely nothing but darkness.

The fennec fox's smirk grew even more as the fear and discontent made its way into his expression. It wasn't that he was scared of Fara, he still had no idea she was even at his side, it was simply the darkness that got to him. The ship had no light at all now and at their current location in space no sunlight could filter its way through the windows. It was complete and utter darkness to them all.

"I can't take this," he finally mumbled nervously, cautiously sliding out of his bed and making his way over towards the dresser. "I've got a flash light in here somewhere."

She followed him, her steps inaudible and eyes only red slits as she remained only a few feet from the hare. She watched with a grin as he finally managed to find the dresser and began rummaging through the first few drawers in search of the light source. He continued making his way lower and lower, checking each drawer thoroughly, the complete silence and darkness seeming to get to the rabbit with every passing second, something in his senses telling him that he wasn't alone and urging him to get the flashlight as quickly as possible.

__Amazing isn't it? How the darkness can scare us so easily, even though we see it every time we blink. If only you could embrace it as I do, maybe then you'd appreciate it for what its worth.__

"Finally." he said in relief, his shaking paws finding their way around the flashlight, searching for the switch to turn it on.

She stepped to her left, getting to Peppy's other side as he stood back up and finally managed to turn on the flashlight. He nervously flicked it across the room back towards his bed, looking carefully at each section of the small area before shining it directly ahead at the mirror across the room and allowing him to see himself.

And what was behind him.

The hare froze in fear, seeing not only himself in the mirror but the faint outline of another body behind him and a set of red eyes above his right shoulder. But before he could do anything in response he felt a pain in his chest, immediately attempting to cry out in shock and warning but failing as he felt a paw slam against his mouth. She held the knife in place, still smirking as the hare's hands fell from his covered mouth to his waist as he tried to hold back the pain.

Part of her wanted to let go, to allow him to fall so she could stand over him and watch, but he'd scream if she did that and she didn't plan on letting the cat out of the bag after only one kill. Sighing to herself she pulled her blaster from its holster and, after enjoying the muffled screams of agony that escaped the rabbit for a second more, allowed the butt of her gun to knock him out. After confirming he was silenced for a good amount of time she quietly lowered him to the floor, her eyes full of excitement and satisfaction as she admired her work.

It wasn't just the kill that had made it feel so amazing, it was the look in his eyes just before it. She had struck more fear into that rabbit in those few seconds than he'd suffered his entire life. It wasn't that she had inflicted a wound upon him that would lead to a slow and painful death, no, it was that she had struck true fear into his heart beforehand.

She reached down and pulled the blade out, running each side along each of her arms to clean the blood off before stepping over the rabbit's body and grabbing one of his pillows. She looked back down at the body, still leaking blood at a decent pace and increasing the crimson puddle around him. But he still had a while to go. She had done her homework, she knew where to strike and how roughly, it was down to an art at this point. Peppy was the oldest and would bleed out the quickest if she hit anything important, so she had to work with that. Rather than hitting one of his arteries she decided to go lower and instead split the difference between his ribcage and his organs.

If he was lucky, she hit exactly where she was aiming for. He'd be able to live for another 5 hours before his heart finally lost the battle to produce more blood than it was losing, of course she didn't plan on him, or any of them for that matter, still being alive in that amount of time. Tugging on the pillowcase in her hands she tightened the knot she had been working on before kneeling down and jamming it down the rabbit's throat, tying the ends together around his head and assuring that no sound would escape him if he came back to his senses.

__I'll be back for you later, but for now I've got a few more rooms I'd like to visit.__

She stood back up and stepped towards the door, taking one final glance back at Peppy Hare's blood spattered body before she left. He wasn't dead, only injured. But in time that would change. Somewhere deep within her mind she knew that Peppy didn't do anything to her to deserve this, that the hare didn't influence Fox's decision to choose Krystal over her, that he had nothing to do with the raging obsession and insanity that continued to coarse throughout her entire body with every heartbeat, but it didn't matter. They didn't have to play a part in Fox's decision to deserve to die, all they had to do was be a friend of that Cerenian bitch, that was enough reason to kill them all.

__Peppy's fate is sealed, as will be the rest of theirs...__

000

There wasn't really a reason why he had woken up, it happened more often than not, but either way he was used to it by now. Part of him figured it was just the alcoholic inside him that refused to sleep the entire night without needing to wake up once to take a piss or get a drink, but regardless he couldn't help but feel much better about it now, and for a great reason too. He looked over to his left, the pink naked form of Katt Monroe sleeping beside him, her head resting under his wing as he looked at her very faint outline in the darkness.

__Can't see a goddamn thing with the power out. Just my luck that I'd wake up within the hour that the engines were off. Ah well, its the same old ship, I don't need lights.__

He threw the covers off and stepped out of the bed, his bladder screaming at him to find a toilet before it burst. He heard Katt mumble sleepily as she felt for his body before reluctantly opening one eye and seeing nothing but darkness.

"Falco?" she said groggily, concern slightly evident in her tone.

"Just heading to the bathroom," he replied, "Go back to sleep."

Not needing to be told a second time the pink feline pulled the covers up and turned back over before slipping back off into sleep, the avian hearing it more than seeing it and managing only to grin in amusement. He didn't like to talk about relationships and feelings much, always passing them off as weaknesses and stupid pointless conversations, but that didn't mean he wasn't happier than ever now that he and Katt had finally hooked up. She was amazing, a perfect match for him in every way. He loved her cocky, powerful attitude, how she challenged him at almost everything they did, even when having sex.

It was perfect, now he understood why Fox was so torn up over Krystal all that time, he could understand why the vulpine had wanted to have her by his side the rest of his life. Falco knew he was lucky, he knew they both were, the only difference being that his mate wasn't currently being hunted by an insane ex of his. All he had to worry about was keeping an eye out for Fara and in the mean time enjoying his new life with Katt Monroe.

He stepped out into the hall, allowing a loud yawn to escape him as he made his way down the pitch black corridor towards the bathroom. He made his way past Slippy's room first, then Krystal's, but he knew that one would be empty. Much like himself and Katt the two foxes had wasted no time in sharing a bed, but whether or not they had made it to home base as quickly as he and the pink feline had, well, he wasn't so sure. But that was the difference with him and Fox and Katt and Krystal. They were so much more emotional and intimate with each other, they took it slow and savored as much of the foreplay as they could, whereas he and Katt went all the way the first night.

He didn't regret it and he knew Katt didn't either, they were like that, that's how they both wanted it. They weren't the type to talk about feelings, they were both much better at showing them instead, and they had done so almost every night since then. A smirk crossed his beak as he remembered Fox telling him to keep it down as they walked down the sidewalk back on Corneria. It was no secret what went on between them, but he didn't care and they all knew it.

__I love her and that's all that matters. Fox and Krystal are in the same situation, just going slower. Nothing wrong with that.__

The falcon shoved the thoughts from his mind, choosing not to worry about the opinion of others, especially those of his friends whom he knew would support him regardless. Instead he decided to focus more on finding the bathroom door in this unbelievable darkness.

__Never seen it this dark before. We must be perfectly silhouetted by Sauria right now.__

It perturbed him that not a single thing on the ship was lit up right now. He didn't want to admit that there was an uneasy feeling slowly making itself known within himself, but in such a state as this he couldn't help but allow it to creep in. He knew he was practically at the door now and stuck a wing out and felt for the wall, taking a few small steps forward until finally making contact. He found the door frame and seconds later easily located the handle.

Although he knew he'd still see nothing but darkness a part of his mind ordered him to look behind him back down the hall, as if wanting to confirm that there was nothing to worry about. He pushed forward on the door and cast a glance over his shoulder as he stepped in, his heart instantly skipping a beat and his entire body freezing in fear as his eyes continued to rest at the end of the hall, swearing up and down to his brain that there had been two red circles, almost like eyes, staring at him for a split second before vanishing.

He refused to look away, the seconds passing and his heart seeming to race as a sweat broke out. He felt stupid for allowing this to overtake him, for allowing his mind to play tricks on him and for allowing himself to act like such a baby. But no matter how many times he told himself not to be a puss, no matter how hard he tried to look away from the darkness, his gaze continued to rest on the exact spot those two red orbs had been.

__The fuck did I just see? Jesus Christ what the hell was that? Did I just imagine it or was there really something there? But if it was really something...then what was it?__

His mind raced for an explanation, his ego not being strong enough to trick his mind into thinking he was just seeing things. It had been real. Whatever it was he had seen, it was real, not a trick. Two red circles at the end of the hall staring right at him, almost instantly disappearing as if it knew he had looked back that way.

__It couldn't have been ROB, he's shut down for the night. So what was it?__

Every fiber in his being was wishing that the lights were working again, that he could see __anything __other than complete and utter blackness. This was what it was like to be blind, not being able to see your hand in front of your face, only having your other senses to go by. But he heard nothing and smelt only a faint odor that he knew he had smelt before, an odor that reminded him of death and put a bad taste in his mouth, but he couldn't place it. He remained frozen in the doorway, still refusing to move from the spot as he looked out into the hallway, his face still sweating as he allowed the fear to work its way inside him.

__Something isn't right, it's almost like I can feel it, whatever it is, getting worse and worse.__

The longer he stood there the less and less he resembled Falco Lombardi. He could not figure out what it was that held him in his spot, only continuing to see the image of those red circles shining in the darkness, looking directly at him, promising him death and letting him know it was near. His cockiness was gone, along with his bravery and determination that he had trademarked to his name. He couldn't understand what was coming over him, only staying in that spot and allowing the coldness to overtake him as the feeling in his gut continued to grow and grow.

__I have got to get back to the room. It's just a few feet down the hall, just run like hell, get in there, wake up Katt and find some goddamn light.__

A better plan had never been formed in his mind and at the moment it seemed like the best solution. Whatever it was that he had seen had done something to him that he'd never be able to get over or forget, but for now he just wanted to get away from it, to be able to tell someone else about it and stay on the lookout until they could see once more.

__Just go damnit! Go. Go! GO!__

He released the door frame, his heart pounding as he blindly made his way down the hall, his wing grazing the wall and passing over Slippy's door, and finally, after another few fear induced seconds, resting on his own. He turned on the handle and threw it open, sliding inside and immediately locking it. Wasting no time he grabbed his phone off his dresser, calling out Katt's name in relief as he opened it up and allowed the light to dimly filter across the room.

"Katt." he said again, walking over to her, his adrenaline pumping as he turned his phone's light on the feline.

She still had the covers pulled over her head and he figured she was still sleeping pretty deep so he leaned down and shook her form, calling out her name again, this time much louder and with urgency. Yet once again she remained silent and he couldn't help but issue a sigh of annoyance as he reached up and threw the covers back, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked down at the beautiful feline before him, now bound and gagged, blood running from stab wounds in both her shoulder blades as her unconscious gaze looked up at the ceiling.

"Ka-

No sooner had he began to say the feline's name did he feel the sharp pain enter his body from behind, a hand instantly closing around his beak and muffling out his cry of pain. He knew the best thing to do right now was fight back, but the shock from seeing his mate, of seeing Katt in such a state, coupled with the blade currently being pulled from his waist only to be reentered a few inches to the right, it all clouded his thoughts and all he ended up managing to do was wrap his arms around his bleeding waist in an attempt to withhold the pain he was feeling.

__No! What's happening? Katt! Who did this! Who-__

Even his thoughts were cut short as his vision went black, now from a state of unconsciousness rather than lack of light due to a bash to his skull. He fell to the ground, the last thing the bird managing to feel being the agonizing pain in his stomach, the last thing he managed to see being a pair of red iris' staring down at him, telling the ace pilot only one final thing before he slipped off into a pain-filled sleep.

The monster was real, and it intended to kill them all.

000


	28. Pointless Bravery: Four Down

000

One thing that she had done before leaving the lower deck of the dreadnaught was to ensure that her presence on the ship remained unknown for as long as possible. This meaning that after placing the explosives around the engines the fennec fox decided to put her newly acquired skills to an even more technological challenge, hacking into the computer and prolonging the amount of time that GreatFox's engines would stay powered down. Rather than an hour of darkness on the ship, she now had three.

She knew it didn't matter though, it was just cautious insurance in case something happened to go wrong. Not only that but it added to her capabilities. The darkness around her seemed like home now, it felt right moving through it, allowing the blackness to overwhelm her and become one with her form, with her mind, and with her heart. The blood spattered across her arms and face, dried on her clothes and knife, it only made her grin in satisfaction as she noted that there would be more of it to come.

Peppy had been first, she had easily stuck up on the old hare and, after striking unbeknownst fear into the rabbit, mortally wounded him before bounding and gagging him and leaving him in the floor by his bed. A small part of her felt something almost like remorse or regret, but such feelings had almost been completely eradicated from the vixen's being and instead she felt almost nothing but excitement and an even stronger desire to inflict more of the same unto others.

And she had only minutes later. Falco leaving his room had been the only blemish up to that point, it had been bad luck on her own part, but it was a variable she had also accounted for. In fact, the more she thought about it the more it seemed to have played out in her favor. Her eyes had given her away only at the last second but it had been enough to strike the falcon to the core. Over and over again she imagined the look of fear in her mind that had slowly made its way across his face. Finally she decided to move on, slipping into his room and taking care of Katt Monroe easily before waiting out the bird and doing the same to him.

__Serves that pink bitch right, she was helping Krystal all along, had it not been for her all of this could have been prevented!__

Thoughts such as those had been on her mind while she had been standing over the pink feline and it was those same hateful thoughts, coupled with that seething urge to see them all suffer as slowly and painfully as possible that made her do what she had done. Stabbing Katt just below her shoulders was the ultimate punishment that she could have inflicted without killing her within the next hour. She knew the pink cat was hurt bad, and the pain would be extraordinary when she came to, but she wouldn't die, no, not with injuries so close to the heart yet not hitting anything extremely essential.

__She deserves to suffer as much as that blue bitch! No...no even I know that isn't true. They both deserve to die but Krystal's death will be so much more unbearable than Katt's. Perhaps I'll let her watch though...__

Even now, standing at the end of the hallway and planning her next move, Fara's mind obsessed over her payback, of what she'd do to them all. Insanity had become her, obsession had covered her, and revenge had filled her, all of which had turned her into this beast. Beforehand she hadn't thought Fox could do this much to her. She knew she still loved him and that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, and she also knew that there was a possibility of him saying no to all of that. But as it all played out, the actions of Krystal and Katt, everything that happened on Corneria, it proved to her more and more that she didn't just want Fox in her life.

She needed him. He wasn't an option, he was a requirement. So much so that she'd lie and deceive to get him if that's what it took, and she did, and it had almost worked. But that had failed and when it had something inside of her took over. Being reasonable wasn't possible anymore, not after hearing him say all of that to her in the elevator, not after him telling her that he loved Krystal, not her. It had become clear that the only way she could have what she wanted...no...needed, was to take it by force.

__Kill them all, erase his old life and start him a new one where I control everything for him. He'll know nothing of his old team or friends, and especially nothing of that Cerenian bitch! It will be as if none of this ever happened by the time I'm through with him, all he'll know is me and only me.__

She was halfway done now. Peppy, Katt, and Falco were...indisposed at the moment. They weren't dead yet, but in time that would change. The only thing to do now was add one more team member to that list, which would leave only Fox and Krystal. Of course she'd kill the vixen as well, but not for a very long time if she had her way. As for Fox, she expected him to put up a fight but in her current state there was no doubt in her mind at all that she couldn't handle him. Be it hand to hand or blaster to blaster. She would wound him if she had to but nothing too extreme, for as of now Fox was the only creature alive other than herself whose life was not in danger, and she planned on keeping it that way.

Two doors down on her right was Slippy's room, he was the next one to pay. She had studied them all, birds, cats, rabbits, toads, foxes, she knew their insides and outs, she knew where to strike to render them useless yet make them suffer. Slippy would be no different than any of the others.

Still smirking at how perfect her plan had been so far she silently made her way down the hall, carelessly twirling the Ka-Bar around in her hand as she neared the amphibians room. She couldn't see how he would be much different than the others though, just sneak into his room and get the job done as she had done three times before, flawlessly. But as if luck wanted to have a little fun with the fennec fox she was forced to crouch and slide up against the wall as the toad's door slowly crept open.

Turning the knife around she narrowed her gaze as the toad stepped out into the hallway and turned on a flashlight, immediately telling her that she'd have to make her move without hesitation now if he saw her. But luck did an about-face and favored the vixen now as Slippy instantly headed down the hall towards the lounge, never noticing his assassin only a foot or so behind him.

"Power should have came back on by now," he mumbled grumpily, shining the flashlight ahead of him as he entered the lounge and began to head for the bridge.

For a split second she felt worried about the situation but it was almost instantly gone and she couldn't help but smirk at doubting herself. This was nothing. Murder was murder, where it happened didn't matter to her. So she had lost track of time or started late and Slippy had noticed something was wrong. That was understandable, but this little setback was easily fixable and if anything it would only make things easier on her, not having to worry as much about someone hearing it.

She slowly rose and stretched her arms over her head, holding back a yawn before casually, yet inaudibly following the toad. It was amazing really, how this new fox she had become could act so calm and collected at a time such as this, but it was just the beast inside of her that allowed that. Killing was only natural now, to get what you want you had to take it by force and now that she finally realized that it made everything so much easier. Any trace of the old Fara Phoenix was gone now, the only similarities remaining from it being her outward appearance and lust and obsession for Fox McCloud.

Up ahead she watched Slippy enter the control room before exiting the door on the other end and heading down the stairwell and into the lower deck of the ship. Knowing she was out of earshot, especially to someone as dull and unsuspecting as Slippy, she began to walk faster, hoping to catch the frog before he had enough time to figure out what she had done. Not that it would matter though, she just preferred working in the dark at this point. It was much more 'fun.'

Making her way down the stairs she heard the sound of a door opening and closing telling her that he was now in the engine room.

__Hmm. I wont be able to get that door open without him hearing it. That leaves me with two options, kill him when he comes out or go on in and get it done before he changes anything.__

She didn't have to finish the thought before she knew what the answer was. Down here they wouldn't be heard, she didn't have to worry about Slippy having a heads up, he wouldn't be a challenge anyway. It was almost disappointing though, she hadn't really been challenged yet, everything had been so easy and one-sided. No one had fought back, of course she didn't really give them a chance to, but still...when she confronted Krystal all that would change. She wouldn't put that bitch down at first, she would step back and let her try to fend for herself, only so she could see just how pathetic she really was compared to the new Fara Phoenix. She wanted to see the look of defeat in that bitch's eyes, the knowledge that she was going to lose and that Fox would no longer be hers.

The fact that all of that was only minutes away almost drove the fennec fox crazy with blood-lust and all of the sudden taking care of Slippy seemed more like a chore. An appetizer to the main course, one that she was starving for, that she had waited forever on until it drove her absolutely mad. But now it was so close, it was within her grasp, there was only a little preparation left for her to do until she could finally taste it and savor the flavor of revenge.

She was standing outside the door now, her mind still racing with lust and excitement as she continued to get ahead of herself and imagine what was to come. Slowly she returned to normal though, somehow managing to push her obsession to the side for only a small minute as she dealt with the last team member who could interfere with her main plan. From inside she could hear the confused murmuring and the pecking of keys as the toad tried to figure out just what the hell it was that had happened...but he'd never figure out.

She placed her paw on the handle and turned it, knowing that once she pulled back on it the hinges would give away her position. But at this point that's what she wanted. She wanted to let this one know, she wanted him to be aware before it happened, to see death before it struck. She slowly opened the door, her eyes still nothing more than two red orbs as she stood in the doorway and stared straight ahead, the creaking of the hinges doing their predicted job and immediately grabbing Slippy's attention.

Although it couldn't be seen a smirk made itself across her face as she watched the frog jerk around towards her in fear, accidentally knocking the flashlight to the floor and busting the bulb, destroying any source of light that he could have used. But to her it was still clear as day, she saw everything and he saw nothing, nothing but the faintest of silhouettes in the doorway and two red eyes glaring right at him.

She stepped forward, her malice filled expression not even trying to hide the look of pure satisfaction that came from seeing the toad in this shape. Who would have known they all would have acted this way? It was pathetic really, that such a group of mercenaries, of trained fighters and hardcore killers, could so easily fall victim to the monsters in their minds when their source of light is taken away. Yes, that is what it was; pathetic. It made the vixen disgusted knowing that she had been 'friends' with all of them. After tonight though she could see them for what they really were and that was cowards. Scared of the dark like children, as if ghosts or monsters were going to get them because the lights were out.

Inwardly she couldn't help but chuckle as she realized that tonight that just happened to be the case. Tonight there__was __a monster out to get them, but they seen it as the darkness when in reality it was her. She could only smirk a little more at this as she neared Slippy, still calmly getting closer and closer to him, knowing that the only thing the toad was seeing from his point of view was two red eyes growing closer and closer, bringing nothing but pain and misery with them.

She expected him to run or maybe cry out or say something to her, but as she took one last final step and stood only a foot away from the toad, his reaction remained the same. His eyes were almost blank and showed no expression at all, his hands rested at his sides and his chest quickly rose up and down. But other than that he did nothing but continue to stare into the red circles, fear striking him immobile at this point.

"C'mon Slippy," she softly whispered, running the knife down the side of his face, "You're making this too easy for me."

A second or so passed as her voice softly echoed around them, that same sadistic grin on her face as she watched the terror unfold within the small frog before her. He hadn't moved or reacted at all, but in his eyes she could see his mind working, processing what she had said and putting a name to the voice that he had heard.

"F-Fara...Fara Phoenix?" he finally managed to stammer, wanting to do more but his brain not allowing it as he continued to stare back into the two red orbs above him.

"There you go," she said, a hint of amusement in her tone, the knife now running down the frog's chest, "Did you miss me?"

The sick attempt at small talk only seemed to get to him even more as his brain began to put the pieces into place. She knew Fox had warned them all about her, about what she would try to do, but what she didn't know was how much he had told them. Did he say she was insane and wouldn't hesitate to murder them all in their sleep without thinking twice about it? Or did he just tell them to 'keep an eye out' for her. Judging by the look of fear on Slippy's face she figured it to be a variation of the two. Either way he'd find out the truth soon enough, but there was still a part of her that wanted to toy with him just a second longer.

"Y-you...you lied to us...you lied to Fox...you-

He was cut short almost immediately, a gasp of surprise and pain overtaking him as the vixen silenced his over-exaggerated tale of what had happened. She refused to listen to it again, having already thrown that memory of her past life away.

"Wrong answer." she sneered, holding the knife in place just below his heart, "You were supposed to say 'Yes Fara I missed you very much.'"

She wasn't sure if he had heard her or not but it didn't matter at this point, instead she pulled the knife out and placed a hand around his throat to prevent him from falling to the ground.

"Now let's try another one," she continued, her voice still cynical and crazed, "Do you think Fox loves me or Krystal?"

She knew he could answer. She had hit basically nothing with the blade, and the blood loss was minimum at best, but it was the pain that came from being impaled at such a section of the body that seemed to overwhelm the toad and occupy his train of thought. But she wanted her answer and she would get it, hoping that it was the wrong one and expecting Slippy's dedication to his friend to provide it.

"Well?" she asked more forcefully, tightening her grip on his throat and pressing him up against the computer roughly, "What's your answer Slippy? I'm oh so eager to hear it."

"Fox..." he managed to say, struggling for breath beneath her choke hold. "Fox loves Krystal." he finished, an almost satisfied look in his eyes as he stuck up for his friend.

But his answer didn't anger her, it didn't make her want to lash out at him, no it only made her grin to herself as she bowed her head and let the moment sink in. It was amazing how far that bitch's reach went, that she had been able to convince them all that Fox __actually __loved her. They were all so confused and mislead that it almost managed to gain her pity had she not hated them all so much.

"You think so?" she asked, her head still bowed, her eyes watching the knife in her hand slowly drip blood onto the floor.

"I know so." he replied, summoning the last of his breath and saying what they both knew to be the bravest line of his life.

At first she didn't reply, still looking at the ground as she held him up against the stand, letting her mind run rampant with all those same sick thoughts about what he had said. But then it came over her and she couldn't help but allow the small chuckle in her throat grow and grow until it was a sick laugh that filled the room, her mind finding so much bullshit humor in what they all thought about her and Fox. They were all so wrong, so confused and mislead by Krystal, it was hilarious to her. And even now! Even when she had complete control and authority over it all, they still decided against her!

__What guts! What moxie! I take back what I thought earlier about them being scared! They are either brave or stupid! Regardless of which one it will be their downfall...but still, I must digress, I can't figure out why they so easily disobey me and the inevitable.__

The laughter slowly faded and she was left completely silent now, looking up at the frog and finding slight admiration in his ability to seal his own fate without second guessing a single word. Of them all she had figured Slippy to be the weakest, to have the smallest amount of composure and moral values, he was after all the whipping boy of the team. But perhaps that was what had made him more self-supportive and grateful for his friends. Killing him would almost be a pity, there might be some use for the toad after all of this. He would be rather easy to 'reset' after a few months, and could come in handy for all she knew.

But that wasn't the plan, and she intended to keep to the original plot no matter what. All of them would die here tonight except two, if she could help it. Fox would live and hopefully Krystal, but for her sake she'd better hope not. But that was still to come, for now she still had to finish this one.

Silence filled them for the next few seconds before she finally decided to make the next move.

"You know what happens next don't you?" she asked, her blood red eyes still all that he could see.

"You kill me." he managed to reply, his voice hardly audible under her paw.

She brought the knife up to his throat and pressed firmly into his skin, barely missing her own hand which still held him pinned against the wall. She paused there for only a second before allowed an amused 'feh' to escape her before pulling away.

"No." she answered, allowing the blade to slip down until it resided around his gut, "But you'll wish I had."

She smirked as he tried to cry out in pain but failed, her hold on his throat having removed all oxygen from his lungs and preventing him from doing anything other than frantically squirming in an attempt to get free of her grasp. But she had no intention of letting this go any further. She had waited long enough, she had had her fun with the pawns and was now ready to take on the King and Queen, but the way she saw it 'checkmate' had been called a long time ago. All she had to do now was knock that bitch off the board.

She took her blaster from its holster and, as she had done to the other three, knocked the toad unconscious with its butt. But she didn't release him, no there was another small twist she wanted to add to her grand finale. Instead she threw the bleeding toad over her shoulder and turned towards the exit, knowing that the end was upon them all now. Within the hour everything would be done.

StarFox would be no more.

000


	29. A Sick Realization

000

__Bad timing.__

He blinked a few times to make sure he was really awake, the absolute darkness that had taken over the ship fooling the vulpine at first and causing the slightest knot of anxiety to build up within his stomach. He felt silly for allowing it, but it couldn't be helped. Not being able to see __anything __yet knowing your eyes were open and you were awake, it would drive anyone mad after a prolonged period of time regardless of how used to they were.

__Guess we'll just have to get used to this for the next few weeks until some credits come our way.__

He decided to close his eyes, wanting to at least believe he was the one responsible for the darkness that controlled his sight and not the lack of power within the ship. Rolling over he immediately forgot about the problems the lack of light presented before him and instead chose to focus on the blue vixen at his side. He gently placed a paw where he thought her waist would be, feeling up her body until he could wrap his arm around her and rest his muzzle on the back of her neck.

__Even in a state like this, just having her by my side makes me wish it would never end.__

Yet even as the thought registered in his mind he knew it wasn't completely true and after another five minutes of sleepless cuddling he couldn't help but sigh and roll over, reaching over towards his bedside table and feeling around for his phone. Finally he found it, immediately flipping it open and narrowing his gaze at the great amount of light that hit his face.

__Just a little after 2? Man this night is going to last forever.__

Holding back an annoyed sigh he flashed the light over towards Krystal, a grin sliding onto his face as he watched her sleeping form slowly fall and rise with every breath. Part of him admired her ability to sleep so soundly despite the conditions they were in, but then he remembered Cerenian's could control the amount of time they slept and, if need be, wake themselves from a dream at any moment. Still, he couldn't help but wish he had such an ability as well, the darkness of the room seeming to close in on him with every breath.

__What's the deal? I've seen GreatFox like this before, I've lived like this for weeks on my own. So why am I feeling so...scared?__

He flashed the phone around the room, his trained canine eyes seeing rather well in the dimly lit corners and telling his brain that they were alone.

__It's not just the darkness, its the sound. There is none. Not even the engines.__

He narrowed his gaze once again, this time remembering a conversation that he and Slippy had the night before.

"_**_**Yeah just for an hour or so, I may not want to run the generators at all. They aren't in the best of shape you know?" Slippy had said, the team just now returning into space from their trip to Corneria.**_**_

"_**_**So it'll be complete darkness then?"**_**_

"_**_**Yeah but not for the entire time. I'll still use the backup power to give us some light for an hour at least."**_**_

"_**_**I guess that's the best option then," the vulpine had finally said, still disheartened about not getting a mission after their trip to Corneria. "Any certain time we'll get power back?"**_**_

"_**_**Well based off the settings from the last time, around 2 and 5am, and only for an hour. After that, power is out again."**_**_

He tapped his phone once again, it's back light having dimmed while he recalled the night's previous conversation. Of course only a minute had passed since he last checked and he couldn't help but wonder why the lights weren't on.

__He said 2 and 5 right? Well its after 2 already so what's up?__

He knew Slippy could have changed the settings or that perhaps there had been a malfunction of some sort, but there was also the possibility that something else had went wrong. GreatFox wasn't in the best of shape and it had been a while since the ship had been dead in space for such a long time, there was a chance that something had frozen up or finally just given out after being allowed to stop for a long enough period of time.

__Sure we kill the engines a lot, but never this long. They had time to cool, maybe too long.__

Well if the darkness hadn't been enough to keep him from sleep then this would get the job done. He knew he wouldn't be able to rest now until he at least talked to Slippy and got some answers. Most of the vulpine's common sense told him that everything was perfectly fine, that the settings had been changed and that Slippy was doing what was best for them all. But there was still a small part of him, the leader and protector of this team, that just had to know for sure.

__No power means no oxygen or heat. I'm not going to let anyone die due to a lack of poor judgment on my part.__

That being thought he silently slipped off the side of the bed and, phone shining the way, padded towards the door. He cast a final glance back at his sleeping beauty, thankful for his stealthy exit, before pulling the door shut behind him and stepping out into the hallway. He looked one door down and, after shining his light out ahead of him, made his way to Slippy's door. It occurred to him that waking the toad at 2am might not be the nicest thing he could do, but he just had to get a few answers before he could get some sleep of his own.

Ignoring the strange, uneasy feeling that seemed to fill the entire ship at the moment he made his way up to the amphibians door, contemplating whether or not to knock.

__Better not, someone might hear. No use waking up everyone just because you cant sleep.__

He once again gave himself a mental kick for forcing himself to go through all of this before pushing down on the handle and easing Slippy's bedroom door open, poking his head and phone inside before forcefully whispering the mechanics name.

"Slippy! Yo Slipp! Wake up!"

Seconds passed and he got no reply, causing the vulpine to inwardly sigh in annoyance before stepping inside and making his way closer until he was finally close enough to see that his bed was empty. As usual three of four possible explanations instantly filled his mind as to where the toad had gotten off to, but the most logical one eventually came out on top.

__So there IS something wrong. I bet Slippy is down there right now trying to figure out what'. I'll go see.__

He turned back to the door, once more swallowing the uneasy feeling that seemed to follow him with every step. It hadn't been like this before. Last time he had been able to deal with it, it hadn't been anywhere near this bad. But now, for some unknown reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that something else was there, watching him and causing him to feel like this.

"Don't be stupid." he murmured to himself, stepping outside the room and pulling the door shut behind him before turning towards the lounge.

That's when the scent hit him. He recognized it instantly, his profession as a battle-hardened mercenary allowing the vulpine to easily identify the smell of blood making its way down the hallway, seemingly filling the air and overtaking him with its unreal magnitude. He froze in his tracks, the hair now standing on his neck in fear and concern as he held his phone out in front of him, desperately peering down the hallway in an attempt to see the cause of it all. But his sight wasn't that good and he was left wondering, knowing that whatever it was that was losing this much blood couldn't have much life left.

__It's all over the place, it even smells like its coming from under the doors! Damnit if I could just see!__

Part of him wanted to just run back to his room and lock the door, to pull up next to Krystal and hold her close and get back to that place with her where he didn't have a care in the world. But that was out of the question now. What had started off as him simply wanting to ask Slippy a question had turned into something so much bigger. Something was going on.

__Maybe it's Slippy? He could have been trying to fix whatever went wrong and hurt himself, and if he's way down in the engine room then no one would have heard it.__

But he knew that wasn't the case. What he could smell now was an unreal amount, it was overpowering and filled his nostrils with every inhale regardless of which direction he looked. There was no way a scent of blood as strong as this could be from only one person, especially if they were down in the lower part of the ship.

Still, he had to find out. The fact that Slippy, or even someone else could be hurt and needing his help at the moment was all the motivation he needed. He cast a glance at Falco's room, wondering whether or not if he should wake the bird and have him join in on the investigation, finally deciding against it. He would look for himself first and wake Falco later if needed. There was no point in making the blue avian all grumpy this early unless there was a 'real' problem.

__How this isn't a real problem is beyond me then. That smell, its awful, and so strong! There must be so much blood.__

His thoughts only added to the sense of urgency he was feeling and finally his brain got his feet moving forward, the vulpine's ears perked in attention as he slowly made his way down the hall and towards the lounge. He wasn't sure why but he decided to close his phone, figuring that he might be better off in hiding his presence until he could get closer to whatever it was. Using nothing but hearing and smell he continued down the hall, passing Katt's room and finally Peppy's before nearing the corner.

__Man the stench is unreal now! Is it in the lounge? It's got to be, there is no way it can be this strong and not right around the corner.__

He placed a paw on the corner and peeked his head around, his eyes uselessly looking across the room towards the sofa and tv but only seeing complete darkness as expected. Yet the new area brought with it another sound and he couldn't help but freeze once more, holding his breath and letting his ears pick up the new audible that seemed to come from the middle of the pitch black room.

__Is that...breathing?__

Not daring to move he continued to listen, doing his best to decipher just what it was that he was hearing.

__No...it cant be that. It's too fast and it sounds like there's more than one.__

He could feel the tension between him and whatever it was in the room continue to grow, and he realized that simply standing there wasn't going to get him any answers. He still held his phone in his hand, now wishing that it was flashlight instead. He didn't know what it was that he'd see, but he couldn't wait any longer. The smell, the darkness, the sound, it was all too much, it was becoming more than he could take.

Finally, in determined anger he flicked open his phone and held it out in front of him, the light filling the room and showcasing exactly what had been the cause of it all.

__No...__

For a second he could only stand there, the phone in his hand beginning to shake feverishly as the vulpine took in the scene before him. After seeing this the whole night seemed to be nothing less than a perfectly planned nightmare, one that was all too real. Now he knew he had been right. It had been blood that had filled the entire hallway. But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was who it belonged to.

__Guys...Falco...Katt...Slippy...Peppy.__

His eyes rested on the old hare, disbelief filling his expression as his gaze slowly made its way down the rabbit's tied body, following the blood that ran from a wound in his chest and to the floor where it seemed to pool with the rest of his team. But it didn't stop there. He continued to follow its trail, the crimson liquid of his 4 friends mixing together and somehow making its way across the room and to the vulpine's feet. He knew he should have been doing something, trying to help them, to stop whatever it was that was causing this, but all he could manage to do now was allow the shock and disbelief take him over and freeze him in place.

__No...not this...not them...__

In the back of his mind he knew who had been responsible for this but that didn't make it any easier to digest. Yes she had been mad at them, she had promised her revenge on Krystal, that she would get Fox in the end no matter what, and he had expected her to do something before long.

__But this...this is...__

"Fox."

He slowly looked up towards the voice, recognizing it all too well and doing his best to hold her sight as he met her red eyes. But he was already stunned at this point and the image of Fara's gaze glowing at him from across the room didn't have the same effect on the vulpine as it did his friends. Unlike them he didn't fear her, he had no reason to. He only had a reason to hate her, and the longer he held her gaze the more that feeling seemed to creep into his body, the image of what this monster had done to his friends now permanently locked inside his mind forever.

"Don't be mad Fox." she said calmly, still looking right at him from across the room, easily seeing his fists slowly clench in age as the shock was replaced with fury. "After all you knew this was going to happen."

He wanted to reply, to scream out in anger at her and inflict the same damage upon her that she had his friends, but the mixture of feelings within the vulpine kept him in his spot, his eyes locking onto hers as he continued to take in all that had happened.

__My friends, my teammates, she did this to them. Even though they did nothing to her, she did all of this to them...__

"You can't say I didn't give you a chance to prevent this," she added mockingly, "You have no one to blame for this but yourself."

__It's all just a game to her now. That's not Fara, its just a monster. A monster that killed all my friends.__

His fists continued to tremble in rage as he struggled to contain the inferno that had built up inside him. He knew she was smiling at him right now, sporting that smug look that showed just how proud she was at what she had accomplished, of all the pain and suffering that she had managed to inflict upon the ones he so dearly loved. It only made him hate her that much more. His phone had fell to the floor, landing in the blood of his comrades but still flashing light across the room between them, showcasing his four oldest teammates, hands tied behind their backs and mouths gagged as they sat there, slowly bleeding to death.

"It's a shame though," she continued, just edging on the situation, "All of this just for Cerenian trash. Is she really more important to you than the rest of your friends?"

Now he knew she was smirking at him, enjoying the game she had started to the fullest of its extent. With every word she drove him further ad further, the vulpine now feeling his own blood leak out around his hands as his nails dug into his palms, every word that Fara uttered along with the sight of his friends before him continuing to build up inside of him.

"You'd let them all die just for her?"

"Shut up."

"All of your friends, gone. Just for that sapphire bitch?"

"Shut up!"

"Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. She'll be dead before long too."

"I said SHUT UP!"

At last the feelings inside him exploded and he launched himself across the room towards Fara's voice, hellbent on killing the fennec fox if it was the last thing he did. But he still couldn't see anything away from her eyes and, after seeing a brief moment of satisfaction fill them, they disappeared into the darkness of the lounge, leaving the vulpine to spin around and awkwardly launch himself in the general direction of her powerful laugh. Yet once again he missed, grabbing nothing but thin air before brushing what he knew was the side of the wall along the kitchen, but the fury that raged within him prevented him from stopping.

He heard her chuckle from across the room, instantly taking a guess and launching himself, not at where her voice had been but where it might be going. He knew it was a blind tactic, one that required more than luck, but it was all his mind could come up with in its current state of rage, the image of his blood covered friends on the floor, slowly dying because of her, still filling his mind with every passing second.

He guessed wrong though, Fara's laugh becoming even more cockier as she easily watched him collide with the side of the television before jumping up and throwing himself in her general direction. It was fighting stupid and he knew it, they both did, yet she was enjoying it too much to stop and he was too focused on getting revenge to realize the futility of his efforts.

"You're not fighting like you want to save their lives." she said from his left, causing him to growl in anger before throwing a fist where her voice had been. "You're almost fighting like you want them to die."

"Shut the fuck up!" he finally yelled, throwing another hook in her direction, the vixen now standing closer to him and easily dodging his blind punches.

__You'll pay for all of this! So help me Fara you'll pay!__

Yet while his thoughts were of well deserved justice, his actions seemed to show otherwise, his fatigue finally beginning to show as he continued to exhaust his strength with every frustrating missed punch or swing. It didn't help that she kept chuckling and laughing at him, taunting and making fun of him, trying to pin the imminent death of his friends on his shoulders when they both knew damn well it was her doing all along.

"It's okay Fox." she said, the calmness of her voice enraging him, "Eventually you'll see this was for the best."

"No!" he yelled, throwing another hopeless punch into the darkness, aiming only for the occasional red flash of the vixen's eyes. "None of this was for the best! This was all for you!"

For a split second he saw her gaze narrow before the breathtaking pain of an unbelievably strong punch landed in his gut, knocking him to his knees.

"No!" she answered crazily, kneeling down beside the heaving fox, "This was all for us! Don't you understand Fox? I did this for us! So we can be together forever with no memories of that blue bitch around to ruin it!"

He felt her hand grab the back of his shirt, holding him a few feet above ground as his slumped over body continued to desperately regain its breath from that massive blow it took. He had only half heard what she had said but he knew it was all bullshit. She thought this was out of love, that it would actually make things work out between them and that they'd be a couple, but she was wrong. This was just insanity at its best; obsession and revenge at an extreme level.

"Look!" she ordered him, thrusting his face towards the four bleeding creatures still on the floor, "See that? That is nothing compared to what I'd do to have you!"

She dropped him to the floor, using her boot to kick him over before kneeling down on top of him and getting her muzzle in his face, the vulpine still seeing nothing more than two red circles looking down at him.

"You are mine Fox." she said, pressing her knee even deeper into his chest, preventing him from saying anything at all as he struggled to breath. "Understand?"

"Never." he managed to say, somehow breaking his right arm free and throwing a hook at her face. But where he expected the vixen to fall back, for his fist to do the significant damage that it would have done to any other opponent he had ever fought, he received nothing but a smirk. Instead of trying to dodge the punch she had looked into it, allowing the full force of the blow to hit her on the chin, afterward allowing a small chuckle to form into a laugh as she admired the look of amazement on his face from below.

It was then that he realized all his previous intentions were going to be impossible to achieve. He could never make Fara pay for what she had said and done to him and his friends. He couldn't get revenge on her, to make her suffer and feel the same pain that she had so willingly inflicted upon them all. That was impossible to do and now as she looked down over him, a look of complete and utter insanity in her eyes, he knew why. It wasn't Fara Phoenix he was up against now.

Fara Phoenix was dead.

000


	30. Krystal v Fara

000

She reached down and picked the phone up off the floor, ignoring the blood that had splashed onto the screen and instead resting her gaze on the clock.

__2:30__. __I've got less than an hour.__

It didn't seem like she had been at it for this long, having started a little before 1am, so the only explanation her current state of mind could come up with was that 'time does indeed fly by when you're having fun.' And she had been. The thrill she had gotten from this was incomparable to anything she had ever felt before in her life. Being able to stab and kill, to punch and kick, knowing that you held the lives of others in your own hands, it was her new high and she'd never find a better one.

She stepped over Fox's body, the vulpine finally passing out after his struggles became weak enough and her grasp on his throat tight enough. She had enjoyed their little sparring match, being able to watch him fail as he tried to save his friends from their impending demise. It only reminded her of how much he truly needed her rather than Krystal who, speaking of which, was the only one left on her list.

This was the one she was truly excited about, this match would be the precipice of her entire crusade, the one that proved once and for all which of the two was better. Of course she wouldn't lose. In fact the possibility of being bested by the Cerenian had not even once crossed her mind, instead she had focused solely on, not how she could win, but what she'd do afterward.

__This is all because of you. I'm like this because of you, I did all of this because of you, yes for Fox, but because of you. You got lucky, you managed to trick him into thinking you were the one only one for him, that I was the one who was lying and trying to hurt him. But what now bitch? Who is responsible for all this pain and suffering now? Not me. No. This is all on your shoulders.__

The fact that she hadn't been with Fox earlier was somewhat surprising but nothing she didn't account for. It was a shame though, she had really wanted the vulpine to be conscious when she squared off against the blue fox, she had wanted him to watch helplessly as his 'lover' fell to her knees in defeat only to be pulled back up and beaten again and again. Even then, that would not even be the beginning of what she'd do to Krystal, but only a taste of the pain and suffering she'd have to endure for causing all of this.

__I could do it all here if the place wasn't about to explode. Oh well, when we return to my new home on Venom I'll have all the time in the world to play with my new toys.__

To her it was already over. It had been that way for almost a week now, all that was left to do was tidy things up and enjoy the spoils of victory.

She stopped at the edge of the lounge and looked back over her shoulder at the horrific scene before her, the four members of Team StarFox still sitting with their backs to each other, wrists and ankles bound and tied, mouths gagged, all the while the painful and eventually life threatening injuries she had inflicted upon every one of them slowly taking its toll on their bodies. Her eyes danced with satisfaction as they fell to the puddle of blood that had compounded between all four of them, forming a deep shade of crimson and slowly yet surely making its way out from their awkward circle.

Behind them Fox still lay unconscious, the rise and fall of his chest letting her know that the only injury that he had been victim to so far was one of the psyche. But that didn't bother her in the least. His mind could be molded and changed in enough time, they had ways of altering such things now. She would keep him for who he was, but the Fox McCloud before her would be no more by the time things were complete.

__But that's still a ways off. There are more important things to attend to at the moment.__

Casting one last smirk at her sleeping vulpine she turned her attention back towards the hallway, her eyes resting on the last door on her right, knowing all too well that the vixen was in his room. It had angered her that they had made it so far in their relationship in such a short time, the thought that she had been sleeping with him these past few days driving the fennec fox mad with rage and causing her to swear more suffering upon the blue vixen. But as before that anger and rage had slowly ebbed away and simply settled in the back of her mind with everything else, continuing to grow and take over her few remaining specs of sanity, replacing them with thoughts of vengeance.

Now all of that could finally be released. Before, with the rest of them, it had been fun and yes she had enjoyed it, but that would be nothing compared to what kind of beast she'd become once it was Krystal's turn. She could feel it inside of her even now, slowly pulsing and pounding along with her heart, wanting nothing more than to simply inflict pain upon her, to torture and kill until there was nothing left for her to punch. And that time was now. Everything else was done. She had her friends incapacitated, she had Fox out of the way, all that was left to do now was settle the score with the one who had been behind it all.

She took a step down the hall, pausing momentarily to look into the bathroom mirror as she passed its open door. The sight before her was nothing short of demonic as she looked herself over, her eyes still red, along with the blood that was splashed seemingly all over her body as a result of carrying them all out into the lounge. If there had been any indication of the old Fara Phoenix still inside of her before, it was most certainly gone now...and forever.

Still smirking she turned her attention back towards the hallway, slowly making her way to the door that held the soon to be dead Cerenian bitch. At this point it was all she could do to refrain from running down the hallway, throwing the door open, and getting straight to it. It was a sick sense of excitement, backed with fury and rage that consumed her now, fueling her imagination every step of the way as she pictured the lifeless gaze of that sapphire vixen on the ground below her.

__Must not kill her...not yet...__

That was the only thing she was worried about now, simply being able to refrain from beating the Cerenian to death before it was over.

She passed the second to last door, not noticing how unbelievably strong the scent of blood was even this far away from the lounge, only focusing her thoughts on one thing now. Then finally she was at his room, bowing her head and allowing the beauty of the moment to settle in as she prepared to finish what she had started.

__Your time is up bitch.__

A smirk was still on her lips as she turned the handle and gently pushed the door open, her eyes immediately resting on the hump in the bed that was Krystal.

__How pathetic you are, sleeping through all of this while I slowly kill all of your friends just feet away. I'll make sure you see them die first, I'll make sure you know it was your hands responsible for their deaths.__

Not making any sound at all she stepped across the room, a sick and twisted grin slowly making its way across her face as she closed the gap between her and Krystal. Somewhere in her mind where rational thought was still, in some small form or fashion, evident she knew that something wasn't right. The scent of blood was overwhelming even in here and her common sense told her that no one would have been able to sleep this long without noticing it, especially with a nose as sharp as a fox's. The signs where there but her mind wasn't focusing on them, rather only concerned with the overall picture of getting what she wanted. For the first time all night something eluded the beast.

She reached forward and placed her hand on the edge of the covers, simplicity running all of her 'common sense' related thoughts now, not telling her that the sheets should be rising and falling or that it was odd her entire body was hidden under the covers, only telling her that Krystal was there, to pull them back and wake her up so she could kill her. So she did.

But found only pillows.

"What..."

"Right here."

She had only gotten halfway turned around before she felt the impact on her muzzle, the force behind the blow amazing her, having not imagined such a pathetic excuse for a Cerenian to have that much strength. She fell back against the wall, her eyes watering as the effects of the swing remained evident. But even in this situation she knew she still had an advantage over her. It was still pitch black to everyone except her, even if Krystal did somehow surprise her she would still be no match.

But regardless of what she thought the next punch came within inches of her head and the fennec fox couldn't help but wonder how she knew where to aim.

__It doesn't matter. I will not lose. It's time to show her just how pathetic she really is.__

Shaking off the small expression of concern that had entered her face she reached up and caught her next punch in one fist, then the other as she tried to fight free. But she didn't stop there. She tightened her grip, her new found strength taking effect as the beast inside of her slowly made itself known. The look of surprise in Krystal's eyes only made her hold that much tighter, the look of pain and fear now evident in her gaze as she forced the blue vixen down to one knee.

"I'm going to make you pay." she murmured rather calmly, as if the strength and effort she was putting forth right now was no strain on her body at all. "You're going to be begging for death by the time I'm through with you."

Before the cerulean fox could reply Fara threw her arms down, releasing her hands and with amazing speed and strength before grabbing the vixen by her shoulders and throwing into the wall, immediately pinning her in place with her arm resting across her neck. It was so easy for her and they both knew it, taking candy from a baby wouldn't be a good enough analogy for how one-sided this was. It didn't matter how much Krystal loved him or how powerful her mind was, none of that would win this fight.

"But I won't let you die." she added, loving the expression on her face as her paws latched into Fara's arm, attempting to pull it off her throat in order to receive oxygen, "I'll keep you alive for as long as I can."

She couldn't help but laugh at the sight now, tears forming and running down the blue vixen's face as she put every ounce of energy in her body towards freeing herself from Fara's grasp. It was nothing short of hilarious to her at this point, watching her struggle to simply stay alive while at the same time she was putting forth little to no effort of her own to cause it all. She had wanted a challenge yes, but she hadn't expected one. This was what she knew was going to happen all along. Krystal was no match for her in this form, no one was, and any efforts made to stop her would be as stupid as they were pointless.

__I told you bitch. I told you I'd make you pay.__

She had been so focused, so amused at the sight before her that she hadn't been paying attention to anything other than the look of desperation on her face. Which was why when the vixen's knee connected with her gut it caught her off guard and she couldn't help but lose focus for the smallest of moments. But it had been enough and Krystal wasted no time in summoning the last of strength in order to pry herself free of the choking arm that had been holding her against the wall.

Fara stepped back, the pain in her gut almost completely gone now, her face sporting an even more amused gesture as she realized her victim still had a little fight left in her. Remaining where she was she watched, a dominant, satisfied look on her face, as Krystal remained on all fours, gasping for breath and struggling to look up the fennec fox.

__Don't think we're done. The party has just now started.__

000

"What's wrong?" she asked, voice still full of fake concern and amusement, "Did you not see this coming? You are a telepath right?"

Her breathing was still fast and irregular, struggling to refill her lungs after the torture they had just been forced to endure for nearly a minute. It was amazing how strong Fara had become, to have just flicked her so easily across the floor, how she had slammed her into the wall and pinned her there as if she were nothing more than a piece of paper.

__She's something else now, she's not the same Fara I fought back on Corneria.__

She raised her gaze up, slowly rising her her position on the floor until she was standing eye to eye with the fennec fox. Like everyone else she could see nothing but the two red circles that represented Fara's eyes, but to her sight wasn't everything. No, she couldn't see any other part of Fara's body in this darkness, at least not with her own eyes. But with her mind it was a different story. While she couldn't read her thoughts, she could still sense them, she could pinpoint where it was with such ease that it was almost as good as sight.

__But...will it matter? Can I beat her?__

She was still mad at herself for not realizing what had been going on this whole time until only minutes ago. She had let her guard down for the night, wanting to enjoy an undisturbed sleep by the vulpine's side so she'd be well rested by morning. So she had put herself in a deeper state than normal, not noticing the auras, the thoughts and feelings that were slowly filling the ship as Fara took down her friends one by one. Not noticing Fox leaving her side to go check on the cause of it all.

She had been oblivious to it all up until only moments before Fara had came for her, and even then it was only because the overwhelming smell of her dying friends blood finally became too strong for her unconscious mind to ignore any further. It was then, after finally waking up and piecing together what she could with her mind, that she realized something wasn't right. It was then that she realized Fara was on the ship.

Not only in the ship, but right outside her door.

__I even landed the first punch and its as if she didn't feel a thing.__

She was a fighter as well, having grown up staff in hand, more than capable to taking down any enemy two, three, or even four times her own size. Up until this point in her life she had never been in a situation where hand to hand combat was a tactic she couldn't win with. But not against this opponent...this...monster.

"What have you done to them?" she managed to mutter, her eyes never leaving the two red orbs just feet across from her, "What have you done to my friends?"

"Friends?" Fara laughed in response, her eyes dancing with amusement, "After everything you've put them through do you really think they'd still be your friend after this?"

"I did nothing to them, you-

"You did__everything __to them." she interrupted her, the look of amusement now replaced with a distant anger, "The only one to blame for all of this, is you."

"No I-

"Their blood all over the floor, the pain and suffering they had to withstand all those hours before they __finally __died, their funerals...

"You did that!" she yelled back, causing the brown vixen to smirk in satisfaction.

"You put the bullets in the gun," she replied calmly, unbeknownst to Krystal now admiring her Ka-Bar knife, "All I did was pull the trigger."

At the uttering of the final word she instantly felt a sharp pain just above her left knee, a cry escaping her only momentarily as she reached for the source of her pain only to have it cut off as she felt a fist collide with her still bruised gut.

__No...not again!__

But as was the case before, she couldn't find the strength or oxygen to fight back against this beast before her. The knife embedded in her leg had grabbed every bit of her attention and no sooner had she reached down to examine it did Fara charge her, an unbelievable blow to the stomach causing the vixen to fall forward over Fara's arm, only to have her mimic her earlier action by slamming her back into the wall. She stepped to the side and, with her left hand holding her off the ground by her hair, delivered another bone breaking punch to her chest.

"But even after all of that!" Fara exclaimed, reaching back connecting with the side of her muzzle, "You still manage to think that Fox loves you!"

__I've got to fight back...I've got to-__

Her thoughts were cut short as the fennec fox delivered another monstrous blow to her gut, the pain already more than any conscious part of her body was willing to bear. She could feel the blood running down her leg from the knife but surprisingly the pain from its impact was no longer noticeable at this point, her mind choosing instead to focus on the ribs that were being broken with every passing second.

"...that you two ever had a chance together!" she continued, her obsessed rage now being shown both verbally and physically.

She tried to think of a way to break free, to fight back or at least put up a struggle, but her mind was becoming so foggy and simply thinking straight was becoming a more than difficult task. She tried to lower her arms to her sides, to block off any more of the unbearable, bone shattering punches that Fara could try to deliver, but no sooner had she done so she she feel the near-jaw breaking force of her monstrous strength connect with the side of her muzzle.

__I can't...I can't win. She's too strong...__

She could hear Fara laughing but it seemed faint at this point, her mind only recognizing the arrival of another fist as it connected with the other side of her muzzle, throwing her face in the opposite direction. Perhaps the most sickening realization of it all was that Fara wasn't even trying at this point, that she was only playing with her, like a mouse in the clutches of a cat. Death was imminent, but before its arrival she would be used as her own sick, twisted form of entertainment.

She watched in a slight daze as the two red orbs before her narrowed in excitement before releasing her beaten excuse for a body and allowing it to fall to the floor. It was upon impact that the pain seemed to grow much worse. She felt the knife which had still been embedded in her leg hit the floor perfectly and, much to her dismay, slide further into her thigh until the hilt rested against her blue fur. But that pain, as unbearable as it would have been, was still cloaked by the beating that had been dealt upon her torso, an unimaginable pain taking over her body with every breath, with every beat of her heart, her insides all but smashed into pieces from Fara's relentless beating.

__She's a monster...I cant beat her...__

For a moment she simply lay there, the pain throughout her entire body seeming to take full effect, causing her to convulse and painfully cough up her own blood onto the floor. From above she heard Fara laugh in satisfaction, the vixen's boot making its way under her stomach before ruthlessly kicking her the few feet back against the wall, a cry of pain being her only managed response.

"This," she said darkly, leaning down and grabbing a handful of her blue hair, "this is nothing compared to what I've got set aside for you."

Even through the pitch blackness of the ship she could see the look of malice, of absolute evil and insanity on her face, and for the first time since their escapade on Corneria she realized the complete dedication that Fara had put into killing her.

"But first," she murmured, her voice still full of hate but now sporting a dark, evil tone, "I want to show you something."

Hardly able to understand anything at this point Krystal could do nothing cough up another part of her own blood as Fara laughed and forcefully grabbed her by the hair before dragging her down across the room and towards the hallway. Her mind couldn't begin to wonder what it was at this point, only doing its absolute best to stay functioning amidst the agonizing pain that seemed to come from every part of her body.

This monster was unbelievably strong and she hadn't gotten anywhere close to stopping it. Now she could only take a far off guess at what it would be that Fara had planned for them all.

__I'm sorry Fox...I just couldn't beat her...__

000


	31. Ending It

000 __Now you want to take me down as if I even care. I am the monster in your head. And I thought you'd learn by now, it seems you haven't yet. I am the venom in your skin., and now your life is ___**_**broken**_**___.__

She couldn't help but grin in satisfaction at the sound that came with the blue vixen's head smacking against the crimson liquid. At this point it was all for fun, the challenge, the threat, it was eliminated. It lay face down in the floor at her side, only half conscious, struggling to stay alive while its face rested on a pool of its friends blood. She continued to smirk at the sight, loving every agonizing, pain-filled second of the vixen's downfall.

__You weren't even a challenge. None of you were.__

"To think," she said out loud, looking across the blood spattered room, "Someone as pathetic as you almost got away with someone like Fox."

She knelt down and grabbed a handful of Krystal's hair, jerking her head up and laughing in amusement at the site of the vixen, the left side of her face dripping with the warm red liquid. She wasn't a challenge to anyone at this point and they both knew it. The fact that she was the only one on the ship still conscious was only because Fara allowed it, because she wanted her to see what she had caused, to make her remember the pain and suffering she put her friends through before they were finally allowed to die.

"You don't deserve him." she spat, forcing the Cerenian to hold her gaze, seeing her own red eyes in the reflection of her pupils. "You don't deserve to die either."

The look she got from Krystal was one still filled with struggle and hate, but accompanied with pain and suffering, and it only made the fennec fox smirk that much more. The fact that she was still trying to put up a fight at this point was great because in the end she knew it would only make it all look that much more pathetic. She wanted Krystal to get back up, to talk back to her, to try and save her friends, if only so she could beat her down one more time.

But that wouldn't happen and she knew it. There was no telling how many of her ribs she had broken, how many internal wounds she had inflicted, how badly the sapphire fox was bleeding on the inside, but it was well more than she could bare. All of that plus the knife currently embedded a good five inches above her knee, it would without a doubt keep her immobilized for the rest of the night.

"That makes one of us." she managed to reply, coughing up blood.

"Aw how sweet," the fennec fox replied, faking sincerity, "You've still got enough left in you to talk."

Not waiting for a reply she threw the vixen back down onto the ground, the feeling of blood being splashed over her fur only adding to her enjoyment as she heard her cry out in pain. She knew that if she planned on drawing this out the way she had imagined she couldn't do much more to her. In her current state she'd only live another couple of hours before the injuries finally became too much for her to handle and she died, but that wasn't the plan now was it?

No, the plan was for her to live, not die. For her to wish for death while living for the rest of her life, knowing that she had lost Fox and that somewhere out there the two of them were spending eternity together while she was forced to suffer through such an unimaginable display of pain with no hope of release. That was the plan. Revenge, for the rest of her life.

"You know," she muttered calmly, placing her boot on top of the vixen's head, "It may not seem like it but I'm actually being rather nice to you right now."

After getting another cry of pain from the fox she lowered her boot to her waist and, with little effort, kicked the Cerenian across the floor and into the wall before following behind, her steps now caked in blood as she stepped across the pool.

"I mean you have no __idea__ how much self control is required of me right now just to keep from killing you." she finished by reaching down and grabbing the vixen by her hair again, jerking her to her feet and holding her at eyes level and smirking.

"You should be thanking me."

She held her at arms length, relishing the sound of her quick and troubled breathing while she awaited a response. She knew she'd say something...despite her current shape, she'd reply. She wasn't dead yet and Fara knew what kind of creature she was dealing with. Krystal wouldn't give up mentally __or __physically and she had counted on that.

"Well?" she asked after waiting a few seconds, "I said, __you should be thanking me. __What are you waiting for?"

She grinned in amusement at the sight before her; Krystal's eyes halfway open but filled with fire and determination, one side of her face still caked in the blood of her friends, her clothes torn and tattered, her entire torso beaten to the point of collapse. This was the image she had been dreaming of all this time. This was what she had wanted. To defeat Krystal, to ruin her, to beat her down until the beast inside of her was finally satisfied, if only a little.

"Fuck you."

Her gaze flashed back up as the words managed to find their way out of her mouth, a now somewhat satisfied look on the Cerenian's face as the insult landed.

"Oh," she replied, shaking her head and smiling, "You dumb bitch."

No sooner had she finished the sentence did another massive blow land on the blue vixen's gut, the satisfactory crunch of already broken bones following suite and causing Fara to laugh in enjoyment at the look of agony on her victims face. She had been hoping for an insult, for another reason to display her dominance over the whole situation. But a part of her knew she'd never be able to break this one. The others yes, but not Krystal. At least not before a good amount of time.

__And that's all I've got now. Time.__

With that thought on her mind she released the fox, allowing her to fall down to her knees and clutch her sides in despair. Ignoring the pain-filled sounds, that at this point sounded more like music to her ears, she turned back towards the lounge, her gaze resting on the edge of the sofa where she had left Fox's phone. Her planning had been spot on but the one thing she hadn't accounted for was the ship being without power, therefore she had no timer to go by regarding her grand finale.

It wasn't until after taking care of Fox that she returned to the engine room to check the time before heading back up and putting the final part of her plan into action.

__3:05. Only 20 minutes left before this whole place goes up__.

__Perfect.__

"Tell me." she spoke out loud, looking over at the heaving body by the wall that was Krystal, "Should I kill them now?" she asked, smirking as the Cerenian's gaze struggled to follow her across the room towards her bleeding friends, "Or should I let the C-4 do the work for me?"

The look of disbelief that flashed into her eyes only made her laugh, the fennec fox still amazed at the fact that Krystal could still be surprised at her actions after all this.

"I'm leaning towards the bomb myself," she continued, kneeling down in front of Falco, "Lombardi always did want to go out with a bang."

She paused, the eerie silence of the dark, blood filled room seeming to only give the brown vixen strength. She had saved this part for last, letting her know that not only would her friends die, but how it would happen. Telling her that the place she once called home would be nothing but scrap metal floating in space within the next half hour, her dead friends' body parts somewhere in the midst of it all.

"You could try to stop that as well you know? You don't have to just lay there and let everyone you know and love die." she went on, loving the look of desperation and defeat in her eyes more than ever, "I put them in the engine room, right behind the computer. There, now you know. What are you waiting for?"

It was a word game now and Fara owned all the pieces and made all the moves. If ever there were a time to gloat, to be cocky and rub it in, it was now. It was over. Nothing anyone could do would be enough to stop her at this point and they all knew it.

"Well?" she asked, her eyes locking with the vixen's as she struggled hold her head up, "Don't you have anything to say? I guess you just want me to kill them all then?"

"That's enough Fara."

At the sound of the new voice each of them looked across the lounge, immediately taken by surprise as something finally happened on the ship that worked in Krystal's favor.

000

Timidly she opened her eyes, doing her best to focus on the scene before her rather than the incredible amount of pain that her entire body seemed to play host to. There had been two surprises, almost back to back. The first one had been his voice, Fox. It had grabbed both the vixen's full attention and for a split second she couldn't help but feel hopeful that they still had a chance. But before she could think too much on the matter the second surprise came into play, the engines of GreatFox roaring to life, light immediately flashing throughout the rooms and hallways.

But there were two sides to that sword. On the bright side they could now see, giving them a better idea of how bad things __really __were but more importantly increasing their chances of survival. But on the dark side rested the same problem. Now they could __see__. They could see the full extent of the hell that every one of them had been put through so far that night. She could see the blood running out from her four teammates, their backs to each other as they continued to slowly suffer an unconscious death. She could see her own injuries, the knife sticking from her leg and the battered part of her body that used to be a torso.

But worst of all she could see Fara. Or something that used to resemble that creature. Now she was the reflection of a beast, a fox with ragged fur and a look of pure insanity in her eyes, more than half her body cloaked in blood. Blood that wasn't even hers.

__Fox is okay but...will it matter? What can we do to stop this now?__

"Fox!" came a happy reply from the brown vixen, "You're awake! Just in time!"

The joyous tone in her voice was almost scary and they could hear the twisted feelings that were behind it. Rational thought had all but left her now and it was obsession and psychopathy that now produced every one of her words and actions.

She looked up past Fara and at her mate, thankful that not only was he okay but seemingly uninjured. If anyone had a chance at stopping this now, it was Fox. The vulpine had risen to his feet, his gaze resting on Krystal for only a moment before flashing back to the fennec fox, his eyes reflecting as much anger and hate towards Fara as hers was malice and cynicism.

"To stop you." he replied, "And make you pay for doing this."

"Oh Fox," Fara answered, her voice still soft and caring, refusing to believe that he wanted to hurt her, "You're still a little confused from being knocked out aren't you? You still think you can win."

She watched him narrow his gaze and could easily feel the rage vibrating from him, his thoughts focusing on nothing now other than stopping this killing machine before him. But she knew he couldn't. Not hand to hand. Fara had proven it to both of them once already that she was far more stronger than either of the foxes. If Fox was going to beat her he'd need help.

__But what can I do? Even if I manage to get back on my feet I'll just get in the way.__

Feeling more hopeless than ever she could only struggle to stand up, instantly crying out in pain as she tried to bend her leg only to have one of her muscles contract around the knife buried deep within it.

__The knife...__

She placed a paw over the handle, instantly pulling away at the incredible amount of pain that came with it. She looked back up towards Fara, the fennec fox with her back to her now as she continued to taunt the vulpine. She realized that this was going to be their last chance, and even then it would be a long shot. But she had to try.

Looking back up she watched Fox lunge at her, the amused look on Fara's expression only adding doubt to Fox's capabilities as she continued to dodge his punches, just allowing him to wear himself out like last time.

__You've got to help him! Before its too late!__

With that thought she placed her paw over the knife once again, biting her lip in pain as even the slightest touch seemed unbearable. But she ignored it, knowing that it was all or nothing at this point. Taking a deep breath, which ended up hurting more than helping, she placed a paw above the hilt and jerked up, pulling the knife a good two inches out before gasping in pain and giving one final heave and pulling it the remaining three inches.

Afterward she couldn't help but fall to her side, dropping the knife by her leg and allowing the tears to run down her face at the pain. She could feel her blood oozing across her leg and onto the floor but paid no attention to it, simply doing her best to cope with the pain that seemed to ravage her entire body at this point. She couldn't imagine how Fara could possibly have something worse planned for her after this, and then, with an even worse thought, realized she'd rather probably prefer dying here than living the rest of her live the way Fara had described it.

__That's not happened yet though, it's not over.__

Forcing herself to fight against the pain she reached down and grabbed the knife, looking up to see Fox fighting for not only his life, but every one of his friends, only to have Fara easily out maneuver him with that same smug look in her eyes the entire time.

She didn't know how she was going to do it, how she was going to find the strength to not only stand up, but the speed to make her move and to hit its mark. As fast as Fara was, as strong and aware of her surroundings as she had been all night, it was a task that seemed nothing short of impossible. But she knew she had to try.

Somehow she made her way to her feet, clutching the knife by its hilt and hiding it behind her wrist, knowing all too well that Fara was watching her as well as Fox.

"Stay back Krystal!" Fox yelled, catching Fara's gaze and following it to the sapphire vixen.

But she wouldn't. She couldn't. This was her mess and the least she could do was try and clean it up. To give it everything she had one last time before it ended. She owed them all that much. She owed Fox that much. So she stood there, her blood covered body now beaten and tattered beyond recognition, her bangs hanging over her eyes covered in her friends blood as she took a final glance around the room at the full effect of it all.

The ground swayed beneath her but she ignored that as well, instead simply waiting, watching the spar before her and allowing what little energy her body could stockpile to get into place. She still didn't know what she would do but she couldn't just let it all end like this. It was then, while watching her lover unsuccessfully try to avenge everything she had lost for them, that the memory of it all seemed to flash through her mind one final time. The morning after her shower, meeting him in the hallway half naked. Their 'almost' kiss at the diner. The argument in the bedroom, then the fight in the elevator.

Then they were back on the ship and she was up against him, no longer needing to hide their feelings, being able to express all those bottled up emotions that had been inside all these weeks as she kissed his lips and ran her paws across his body. All of that would only be possible to have once again if she could just have__one__ last chance to make things right.

Looking back up she watched the vulpine throw a final punch, his body heaving with exhaustion, his expression desperate and frustrated from his failed attempts to bring down this monster that had caused them all so much pain. It was with the realization that he'd be the one who ended up suffering the most because of it all that did it for her. He had tried so hard to make everything work for all of them, to make their lives better and to prove he was good enough for her. And he didn't have to do any of it, she loved him regardless. But just knowing that it all would have been for nothing, that if Fara won she'd destroy the Fox McCloud that they all had known and loved and replaced him with her own version, that she'd ruin his life, it gave her all the strength she knew she'd need.

__I can't let her hurt you Fox. I won't!__

No sooner had the thought left her mind did Fara finally retaliate against the vulpine, catching his fist and grinning down at him with complete dominance, her back to the sapphire vixen.

__Now!__

She allowed the knife to fall down and into her palm, the blade sticking out well past her hand as she summoned every last bit of strength and concentration her body could muster. She crouched, but only slightly before darting forward and cocking her right hand, knife turned and ready to strike. At first she didn't think Fara was going to notice, but she knew better than that. Fara had been more than aware of her the entire time, the only thing she wasn't sure of was if Fara knew she had the knife.

The fennec fox saw her coming from the corner of her eye and, after easily throwing the vulpine to the ground made a last second move to her right, turning and facing the vixen just in time to move out of the way, the knife stabbing the air just an inch by her waist.

"Missed me bitch."

__Wasn't aiming for you.__

This was it. Her hand-eye coordination had to be nothing short of flawless for it all to pay off now. With her right hand still holding the knife and all of Fara's attention, her other paw flew for the vixen's waist, resting only for the smallest of moments on the back of Fara's blaster before pulling it from its holster and flipping it around to where it was aimed, not in Krystal's direction, but her own. She didn't know if the safety was on, or if this type of blaster even had a safety mechanism. She also had no idea whether or not if it was loaded, but something told her that Fara wouldn't fail her there.

All she knew was that for one split second looking up into Fara's eyes, her finger squeezing down on the trigger, she finally saw a trace of humility in her expression, the realization setting in that something had finally gone wrong with her plan, that they had gotten the upper hand for once.

Her strength was all but gone now and the recoil from the blaster felt like a kick from a cannon, but it answered all of her questions. She watched as Fara's eyes went from being filled with cockiness and power to one of surprise and disbelief as the blast struck her in the chest.

Both of them hit the ground at the same time, Krystal dropping the blaster and putting forth every last ounce of energy she had towards staying conscious long enough to ensure that the beast before her was finally down. She looked on as Fara's knees hit the ground, followed by one of her hands, the other clutching the hole that was seemingly pouring blood from the wound just right of her heart. The look in her eyes still somehow read insanity and hate, but now it was fading, slowly to be replaced with disbelief and realization that her dreams had been crushed.

Her gaze still rested on Krystal, just the sight of the vixen filling her with rage, yet this time no strength and energy came from it as before. No. This time it was only a memory that would be forever burned into her mind, one that told her she had lost to a Cerenian, a race of people she despised with all of her well-being. That the love of her life chose this vixen over her, despite all the things she had done to prove to him how superior she was.

The two held each others gaze for only a second more before Fara finally allowed her head to fall, the blaster wound hitting far too close to the most vital organ in her body and now becoming more than it could withstand. Her paws fell forward and then she was on the ground, her hands clawing at the floor as if she was still determined to make the sapphire vixen suffer for all of this. But even that was now impossible. The once god-like beast that had overcome Fara was now nothing more than the rest of them, dying from a mortal wound that would kill anyone, blood running from the edges of her mouth and down her neck as she struggled to breath. Despite her strength, her motivation and planning, despite everything she had become she was still flesh and bone, and in the end that was the only thing that never changed.

Her eyes rested on Fara's paw, its attempts at clawing the floor slowing and slowing with every second until finally it moved no more, the struggled breathing now silenced as the fennec fox exhaled her final breath.

__Finally. It's over.__

As the thought left her so returned the pain that her body had become so used to by now. The adrenaline that had seemed to have numbed her suffering was now gone and she was once more victimized to the pain of a beaten and battered body. The knot in her stomach continued to grow though as she looked over at her friends, still bleeding and suffering from their injuries. Who knew how bad they were, or if they'd make it? They weren't out of the woods yet, there was still an all too sickening chance that before morning finally arrived one of them wouldn't be alive to see it. She looked over at Fox, the vulpine still on the floor but conscious, a shocked look on his face as he too played witness to everything that had just happened.

Then she remembered what Fara had said.

"_**_**I'm leaning towards the bomb myself, Lombardi always did want to go out with a bang...I put them in the engine room, right behind the computer. There, now you know. What are you waiting for?"**_**_

She looked up at Fox, her mind still struggling to stay conscious as the vulpine slowly turned and caught her gaze.

"Fox...the bomb."

At first she was afraid she'd have to explain it to him, something she wasn't sure she could do at this point as the black state of unconsciousness that had been plaguing her for the past hour finally began to take over her mind. But then she remembered when he had spoken up just moments before the lights came back on, that was right when Fara told her about the bombs, and the current look of understanding on the vulpine's face told her he knew all about it.

"Right." he said, getting to his feet and taking a step in the direction of the control room before pausing and looking back down at her.

__Just go Fox, I'll be fine.__

She wanted to say it but the words wouldn't come. She had neither the strength nor ability to say anything and could only hold his gaze and force a small smile to her face as he looked back at her. He turned back and knelt down beside her, placing a paw on the side of her face and gently kissing her on the lips.

"Just hang in there." he whispered, resting his head against hers for only a second more before standing back up and taking off for the engine room.

__After all of this do you really think I'd leave you now?__

She had no idea whether or not if Fara had been bluffing about the bombs, but regardless they had to check. To have come this far only to get blown up after beating her, it couldn't end like that. Yet for some reason, be it the darkness slowly creeping into her gaze or just the aftermath of the entire situation, she didn't feel too worried about anything anymore. Her thoughts chose instead to focus on the kiss that she and the vulpine had just shared, it being the last thing on her mind before she finally allowed her head to hit the floor and her eyes to close as everything finally settled in on her and she fell into a state of unconsciousness.

000


	32. Waiting

_000 *Most of this chapter is a flashback of what happened after the end of last chapter. Just try to follow it*_

"In other news Cornerian space officials are still baffled as to just exactly it was that caused the massive explosion outside of Sauria early this morning. So far the current investigation has only revealed that __some__ type of space craft was involved in the incident, but further inspection is still being conducted."

The vulpine looked up from his chair at the mention of the news bulletin, immediately recalling everything the previous night had dealt them once again. It had been worse than hell, but not for him. He was okay, in fact he didn't have a scratch on him, perhaps that was the reason behind his guilt filled conscious at the moment. It was his friends that had suffered. It was their blood that covered the walls and floor of GreatFox even at this moment, and he couldn't begin to imagine what degree of pain they had been subjected to before he had finally managed to contact officials and get them help.

__I don't even know if they're alive though.__

His eyes continued to rest on the television across the room, no longer hosting the Lylat news but rather some pointless commercial about the upcoming elections. But he didn't listen, allowing his mind to once again return to his ship as he recalled the true reason behind the explosion outside of Sauria.

__She hadn't been bluffing. Her fallback plan would have killed every one of us had she not been cocky enough to brag about it.__

Looking back now he could see so many flaws and weaknesses in that monster that Fara had turned into. Before they had only seen her power and strength, none of them focusing on how her overconfidence could so easily be used against her, not until it was almost too late anyways.

__And I was. A minute more and we'd all have died.__

He remembered throwing the door open to the engine room, immediately flipping on the lights and heading for the computer. Seconds later, after frantically looking around the upper section of the machine, he finally found the block boxes of dynamite around the back on the floor. He could still all too easily picture the red pixelated numbers above each of the cases, perfectly in-sync as they struck the 3 minute mark. At first he had thought cutting a wire would be the only solution, but there were more wires than he had expected and defusing bombs was not his forte.

__It's a miracle I managed to think of that.__

He couldn't help but grin at his cleverness as he watched himself in his mind, cautiously picking up the squares and with one arm and taking off down the hall to the cargo bay. The bombs had been heavier than he had expected, but then again there had been enough explosives in those little boxes to take down a space station. The sick feeling re-entered his stomach as he once again realized just how extreme Fara had taken it all. She hadn't wanted to just kill his friends, she had wanted to obliterate them, and only then after making them suffer for things they hadn't done.

__To think I once loved her...__

His thoughts continued from where he had left off, watching himself enter the cargo bay and instantly head for the far wall, glancing down at the bombs and being greeted with a timer that now shown 1:45. Realizing he had just under two minutes only added to the adrenaline pumping throughout his body and he struggled to stay on his feet as he ran throughout the empty crates and boxes. Much like Krystal he refused to allow it to end this way, especially after they had finally stopped Fara.

He rounded another box, only now aware that GreatFox had so much junk housed in this section of the ship. He looked back down once more, struggling to stay calm and focused as he watched the timer strike double digits. Yet no matter how hard he tried to think only of the certain death he was holding in his hands, he couldn't help but allow her to slip into his thoughts as well. Even at this moment, turning the final corner and reaching his destination, she was on his mind. This was for her, all of it was. Every damn bit of this was for her, because of him.

__I just hope she's okay.__

He punched in the commands, praying to whatever god would listen to him that the old escape pod was still functional after all this time. It was the only other answer he had to this problem. He couldn't risk disarming this bomb on his own, not without it going off right then and there if he made a mistake. But he knew that if he could just get it outside of the ship, if there was still enough time, maybe, just maybe they'd be far enough away from the blast to survive it.

__The state that GreatFox is in...I just don't know.__

The 'whooshing' sound that accompanied the pod's door opening jerked him back to reality and he took only one last glance at the timer before quickly placing them just inside the door before sealing it shut once again.

__45 seconds. I hope its enough.__

Not bothering to set any coordinates he simply pressed the launch command, the pod jettisoning out into space, nothing but gravity pulling at it as they continued to float around Sauria. Now, doing his best to keep time in his head, he took off for the entrance, wanting to get back to control room as quickly as possible.

__23...22...21...__

He rounded the corner and ran down the hall, the thought of his friends still suffering up in the lounge fueling his actions and giving him more adrenaline to fuel his speed. He grabbed the hand rail and threw himself up the stairs, hitting the wall before bouncing off of it and throwing open the door to the control room.

__11...10...09__

Wasting no time at all he brought up the defense system, thankful that the ship was finally with power and that he could see what he was doing. Not focusing on anything but the defense grid he diverted every bit of energy that the ship still had to the shields, looking out in front of him across the bridge and thankfully seeing the green tint of their protective aura growing brighter with each passing second.

__Here it comes...any second...any-__

He had only just looked down at the radar to find the current location of the escape pod when he felt the blast go off. As expected it was behind the ship, already a decent distance away from them, but it didn't feel like it. He seen it before he felt it, the outrageous amount of firepower sending out a sonic boom that the vulpine could actually see through the dark vacuum of space. He watched as it hit the shields, the force of the collision shaking the entire ship and throwing him forward onto the computer.

__C'mon baby hold together.__

Seconds passed and the barrage of firepower refused to stop, as if each bomb blast was hitting the ship after the other. Somewhere amidst it all he thought he recalled making some mental joke about the escape pod needing repairs after this, but he wasn't sure. What he __did __remember was clutching onto the sides of the computer and gritting his teeth in frustration as he watched the screen before him. The shields were failing, and he could easily understand why. Over-exaggerated wasn't a strong enough word to describe the level this was at. Simply one of those boxes would have blown the dreadnaught to smithereens, much less five.

The ship continued to shake roughly and he could hear the alerts and warnings going off in the background, but he ignored them, knowing there wasn't anything he could do to stop it now. The shields had managed to reach 48% before the first blast had hit and that had been the highest they'd reached in a long time. But of course he had diverted __all __power to them, the rest of the ship's fighting and communications were now offline and he could only hope that enough remained afterward to call for help.

He looked down, his whole view still shaking as he tried to read out the shield's remaining power.

__18%? It's just been 10 seconds and the shields have already dropped 30 percent? That's all the power we have left, this can't last much longer, I can't afford-__

Amidst his thoughts the vibrations finally began to settle and he was brought back to reality, the bright explosion still well more than capable of viewing in the distance. But it was fading now, oddly in space, but nothing he hadn't seen before. Another few seconds passed until everything was once again silent, the only indication of the blast now being the floating wreckage of the escape pod in space. He shakily straightened his stance, his mind replaying the blast over and over again until he was finally pulled back into reality by the sound of the numerous warnings going off before him.

__Only 12% left. That's bad, that's very bad. I don't know if we'll be able to make it anywhere or not.__

His common sense took control and before doing anything else he diverted all the remaining power the ship had to the engines, plotting a course for Corneria while at the same time sending out a distress signal to the planet's space station.

"This is Fox McCloud, commander of the ship GreatFox. I am requesting immediate medical attention. All of my crew is in serious condition as is my ship. I'm en route for your station but I doubt the engines will get us there within the next hour. Please respond."

He hadn't wanted to send only an audio message, but he was afraid a video chat would use too much power, power that the ship didn't have. Not knowing how long it would take for them to respond he turned his attention back to the controls. At this point GreatFox was, like most of its inhabitants, just clinging to life. Death was upon them all and it only added to the direness of the situation. He slowly powered up the engines, watching his other controls and making sure that none of them spiked or crashed as he used up what little power was left.

"McCloud this is Cornerian Space Station dispatch office, we got your distress call and have units on the way, their estimated time of arrival at your current pace is 25 minutes."

He looked over to his right, placing his hand on the communicator, "Thank you," he muttered before allowing a relieved sigh to escape him.

Knowing he had done all he could here he dropped his hand from the keyboard, allowing his gaze to run across the controls and take in all that was before him. Just about everything was shot or dead, and what wasn't yet would be soon. Even if Fara hadn't just about killed all of them they still wouldn't have made it through the night, at least not on this ship. Not in its current state.

He allowed another sigh to escape him before turning and heading down the hall towards the lounge, the smell of blood already reaching him and reminding him of how bad things had gotten. He stepped from the bridge, pausing in the doorway and taking in the sight before him, doing his best to fight the sick feeling that was overtaking him.

__This is like a scene from a horror movie or some nightmare. This shouldn't be real.__

Nothing had changed since he had left. His four teammates were still tied up and somehow bleeding, and a part of him knew that Fara had planned for it to be that way. Of course they were still alive, she wanted that. She hadn't stabbed them where it would kill them, only where it would hurt them, where it would make them suffer for hours and hours until they died of the injury or, as it would have went down, got blown up.

Then there was Fara herself. Her lifeless body still laying face down on the floor, surrounded in a pile of her own blood as it oozed from the deadly blaster wound by her heart. Even from here she looked dangerous, like some sort of insane beast that would still put up a fight, but he knew that wouldn't be the case. Not after this. He followed her outstretched hand, still reaching across the floor for the other vixen in his life, this one a shade of blue.

Except there wasn't much blue left at this point.

He stepped over to his friends first, gently untying each of them and taking the gags from their mouths before laying them down on the floor away from the massive puddle of their mixed blood. After he had them all down he ran to his room and grabbed his bedsheets, tearing strips and doing his best to field dress the stab wounds that each of them housed. He knew a field dressing should have been applied a long time ago to each of them, and he couldn't help but realize that if any of them died he'd always hold himself responsible for it. But that was just part of him. He was their leader, they were his friends, if they died it was his fault, no matter what.

"Just hang in there guys," he mumbled, stepping up from applying the last bandage to Peppy, still furious at Fara for doing this to his friends when they all knew they had no part in this quarrel.

The faint rise and fall of their chests told him they were still alive, just unconscious. At first he found it odd that they hadn't woken from it yet, but then he realized that being in so much pain, losing so much blood, it had sent them from simply being knocked out to being in shock. Medical attention was the only answer for them now, and it was still 15 minutes away.

Not knowing what else to do he stood and turned around, facing the opposite side of the lounge and resting his eyes on the blue and red form on the ground. He stepped forward, making it only halfway to the vixen of his dreams before stopping and looking down at the other fox on the floor.

__If there was ever a chance of us being anything more than friends, you ruined it the day you cheated on me all those years ago.__

Not wanting to bring up the past he simply decided to drop the remaining bed sheet over the fennec fox's body, still fighting the urge to unload a barrage of furious punches upon the lifeless form that had once caused nothing but pain and suffering. Instead he merely clinched his fists and turned back towards Krystal, closing the distance between him and the vixen before kneeling down and placing a paw on her cheek. The sight before him was pitiful and it filled him with desperation and fear. He could see where Fara had broken her ribs and beaten her lower torso into nothing more than a big bruised punching bag. He could only guess how badly the sapphire fox was bleeding on the inside, much less on the outside.

Her leg had stopped bleeding but that didn't make the sight of it any less pain provoking. Timidly he placed his paw behind her leg, reaching around and grimacing as he felt open skin on the other side as well, confirming his fears that the knife had made its way through both sides. Then he met her face, probably the best of the three, but looking the worst as one side was still caked in blood. Blood that he knew wasn't hers.

He reached forward and softly pulled her up, sliding under her and allowing her head to rest against his chest. Of them all, throughout this entire mess, he knew that she had suffered the most. Both physically and mentally. Not only had Fara hurt her, but he had hurt her. So many times he had done it, believing the lies that Fara fed him and insulting the blue vixen without remorse. He had even physically attacked her, an act he wouldn't have dreamed of doing before Fara had arrived.

__Despite everything that's happened, all that I've put you through, I just can't believe you'd still love me.__

"I promised not to let anyone hurt you." he murmured, resting his head against hers and listening to her faint breathing. "I couldn't even keep that one little promise."

"Fox McCloud?"

The vulpine was jerked from his memory and was now back in the waiting room of the hospital. He looked around for the source of his name, his eyes finally resting on the large female beaver nurse standing in the doorway with a clipboard.

"Yes?"

"Can you step this way?" she asked, opening the door further and motioning him forward.

He rose from his chair, reality back in control now as he knew within the next few minutes he'd learn of the fate of his friends.

__Was the damage too much? Was I too late? Are they okay?__

__Is she okay?__

000


	33. Aftermath

_000_

__I can't believe I let this happen to you.__ __I was supposed to protect you, I made a promise...__

His grip tightened around her paw and he leaned forward, bringing it to his face and softly running it across his cheek before kissing her palm. He knew what the bedsheets across her torso and legs concealed and could still all too easily picture the injuries that had been tortuously inflicted upon her. Her right leg, which had once played host to six inches of painful steel, was now wrapped in gauze and had an IV running into it. He hadn't been able to figure out just what had cased that injury at first until he remembered the knife, the same knife that had entered the bodies of everyone else on his team and had caused so much pain and suffering.

His gaze ran up her body until it rested on her stomach. He had yet to hear anything from a doctor, only a nurse telling him that the rest of his team was alive but that a physician would be in here shortly to discuss Krystal's injuries. He almost felt guilty how he had blown off the rest of his team once he knew they were okay, but he couldn't help it. Without his team he'd grieve, he'd fall apart and struggle to get by, but without Krystal in his life, without the sapphire vixen that he so desperately loved, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be dead within the year.

__Please wake up Krystal...just give me one more chance to protect you, I swear on my life that I will never let anything harm you again.__

Part of him hoped she could hear his thoughts but he still wasn't sure. He still didn't know anything other than they were all alive, and the rest of them were going to be okay. But as for her...they had yet to tell him the same thing.

Ever so gently he rested his hand over her stomach, which was now completely wrapped and sealed since surgery. He didn't have to be a doctor to know that her insides had been wrecked, that much was obvious from the outside. He watched his hand slowly form a fist as the anger swelled up inside of him, his mind replaying the image of Fara's god-like, rage fueled punches as they connected with the Cerenian. The memory was almost unbearable yet he couldn't get rid of it, he couldn't forget the feeling of helplessness that had overtaken him as he sat there, only being able to watch in horror as the vixen he so dearly loved took a beating like none other.

__She couldn't fight back...she tried, but Fara...whatever it was she had become...Krystal didn't stand a chance.__

Just imagining how unbearable the experience must have been for the sapphire fox made him want to run back to the ship lay into the fennec fox's lifeless body. He wanted to make Fara pay for doing this to them, for doing this to Krystal. She had caused so much pain, she had made sure that each of them would have experienced the most slow and painful of deaths, just because he didn't love her anymore.

__This is all my fault.__ __It's all because of me.__

His self loathing would have continued even further but the sound of footsteps from his left snapped him back into reality and seconds later he was looking up at a white lab coat, its inhabitant being an exhausted looking mouse. His appearance, had the vulpine not been in a current state of dismay, would have caused him to grin, maybe chuckle. He was half as tall as the mercenary but that was only if you counted his large round ears. He sported thick glasses and two front teeth slipped out around his upper lip giving him the trademark appearance of most rodents. But at this point none of that phased the vulpine. All he seen was a doctor who had answers, answers that he would kill to have.

"So you're the guy who cut my lunch two hours short?" the doctor started, glancing at his clipboard for a few moments, his low voice catching Fox by surprise.

He glanced back up at the fox, his eyes betraying his playfulness only for a moment before resting on the vulpine's paw, still holding Krystal's even now.

"Just joking," he continued, not giving him a chance to reply. "Let's see here..." he went on, popping his tongue as he studied a couple of pages on the clipboard. "Well I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

He held the doctor's gaze for a moment more before turning towards the love of his life and resting his gaze on her sleeping face. The knot in his stomach tightened the second the word 'bad' had left the mouse's voice, but deep down inside he had expected it. There had been too much damage, too much blood left on the floor and walls of GreatFox for everyone to have gotten out of this perfectly fine.

"The bad." he finally said, swallowing in nervousness and tightening his grip on the vixen's paw.

"Hmm...okay...well the bad news is this," the rodent started, stepping forward and standing on the other side of the bed, "this one...Krystal...who I'm guessing is your mate?" he asked, causing the vulpine to slowly nod in response, still resting his gaze on her sleeping face.

__If she'll still have me.__

"Yes well, she got the worst out of the five." the doctor stated, telling the fox what he already knew, "That doesn't mean the others that we treated weren't in rough shape as well, but compared to this one...well...let's just say it's obvious who got the worst end of the deal in all of this."

He said nothing in response, knowing that everything he said was completely true, that Krystal had been subjected to more pain and suffering than the rest of them, that Fara had every intention of making the sapphire vixen experience torture like no other, whereas at least she planned on killing the rest.

__Just think...if she had won...if her plan had succeeded...__

He closed his eyes and shook away the thought, not wanting to even begin to imagine what type of gore-like plans the fennec fox's wrecked mind had put aside for the vixen. All that was in the past. Nothing mattered now other than simply surviving the aftermath.

"So is that the bad news?" he asked firmly, struggling to keep his voice level.

"No." the mouse answered, causing another sick feeling to kick the vulpine in the gut, "The bad news is that we're still unsure if she'll be able to survive the next 24 hours."

He stopped there, as if he was waiting for a response from the fox after hearing the news. But the chestnut furred vulpine showed no reaction other than gently squeezing her paw in hope that it would somehow give her some of his strength.

"The wound in her leg was bad, not fatal because we caught it early enough though. And everywhere else her injuries were repairable, we were able to work on those and patch them but..."

He looked up at the movement, watching the doctor step forward and point a finger at the vixen's stomach before continuing, "It's her abdominal injuries that concerns me. Listen," he ordered, causing the vulpine to match his gaze, "I don't know a lot about ships or fighting, but I've been a doctor for 28 years now and I at this point in my career I can tell what causes certain types of injuries."

"Her insides were crushed," he continued, not trying to sugar coat the extremity of the injury, "Her ribs were broken and her organs were beaten so badly that they were actually too swollen for us to operate on for the first hour. Now I don't know how strong you are, but regardless I seriously doubt you are the cause of this...

__But I am...__

"But I do know this," the mouse continued, a look of pure seriousness on his face, "It's difficult to break a rib but not impossible, but to have the strength behind a punch strong enough to do this amount of damage to someone's insides...you'd have to possess unheard of strength."

__That's what Fara had...that's what that monster had.__

"What I'm getting at," he went on, "is I just have to ask; what was it that did this?"

He held the rodent's gaze, his mind trying to come up with an answer that would be believable. He couldn't tell him that it was his old ex-girlfriend, hellbent on killing his new love out of jealousy. That wouldn't work, no one would buy that story. No one would believe that Fara Phoenix, renown pilot and heir to the Phoenix fortune that was basically all of Papetoon, had lost all traces of sanity in her mind and had turned into a beast with only the intention of revenge on its mind.

"I...I don't know." he finally muttered, looking away from the mouse and back at the hand intertwined with his own. "Some type of monster...something that wanted to kill us all."

"Yet you remain unscathed."

The words struck him hard but he didn't look back, instead allowing his head to fall forward, allowing the shame of his current physical health to become evident to the rodent before him. He knew how suspicious this all seemed, how everyone else on the ship had been either near-death or dead when the officials arrived. How he was the only one without a scratch, yet his body plastered in blood as he held the unconscious vixen in his arms.

__I would gladly suffer their pain for them.__

Seconds passed before the mouse finally cleared his throat, "But anyway," he continued, looking back down at the clipboard, "That's none of my business I suppose. So...let me just explain the situation for you, and don't expect me to sugar coat it because I can't."

He gently nodded, still looking at the floor and holding onto her paw as the doctor continued, "This one lost a lot of blood, and I mean a lot. You may not have noticed it though as most of it was still inside her body. Her internal injuries are, as stated earlier, astounding. She was bleeding very badly inside and it's a miracle we even managed to stop it, and it's even more of a miracle that she was still alive at that point. Now, while she's stable for the moment," he referenced this by tapping the heart monitor with his pen, "Within the next 12 hours her body will be circulating the new blood we've given it. Understand so far?"

Nodding in response, he could tell that the doctor was doing his best to sound friendly about the run-down of it all but at the same time it was still a pointless effort. The main fact still stood out to him.

__She could still die...she's not safe yet...even after all of this she's still not safe. And there's nothing I can do to help her.__

"There's the problem." he added, narrowing his gaze at the chart once more, "It's bad enough her body is going to have to accept so much blood into it's system, and we don't know if she'll be able to survive the experience or not. But to make matters worse, and this is the really bad part," he added solemnly, "Cerenian's have a slightly different blood type than other foxes and since that planet's destruction we've had no reserves left to use on any remaining survivors, such as Krystal here. So not only will her heart have to survive accepting such a large loss, then large addition of blood back into her system, but it will also have to accept a different blood type."

The vulpine continued to remain motionless, only stroking the vixen's hand with his thumb. Most of his entire being was in despair, praying and begging anyone or anything in existence to prevent such a dark ending from happening, while on the outside he still appeared numb and somewhat pale, his rational mind still doing its best to control his thoughts and actions.

"I don't have to tell you what will happen if her body rejects the blood." the mouse added, the seriousness in his tone striking the fox like a punch to the face.

"No." he managed to reply, "You don't."

A few more seconds passed between them, the physician allowing the weight of the situation to set in on the mercenary, knowing that such news would be hard for him to handle. He had been through this before, this wasn't his first time telling someone their mate's life was on the line, yet no matter how many times the occasion arose it never seemed to get any easier to handle.

"Is there anything I can do? That anyone can do?" he managed to murmur, his gaze once more on the vixen's sleeping expression.

"Just wait." came the mouse's reply. "And Pray."

The idea of prayer almost brought the faintest of smiles to his face, but the direness of the situation wouldn't allow him to express the humor he had acquired towards religion over the past 5 years of his life. He had tried prayer before and it had failed him countless times. Losing his mother and father, his friends and family, prayer hadn't helped him then nor any other occasion since and he had finally just abandoned the fallacy altogether. But now things were different than before. His mother and father had been his whole world and he had lost them both, but now, somehow he had found another reason to carry on, another reason to fear dying before going into battle rather than just not care how things turned out.

Now he had her.

"What's the good news," he answered calmly, wanting to change the subject.

The doctor looked over the vulpine for a brief moment before closing his eyes and mouthing out a silent prayer, finally looking back down at the clipboard and re-reading what he had already seen.

"The rest of your friends will be perfectly fine in a few weeks. Their injuries were life threatening yes, but only after an extended period of time. Other than the hare, they all could have survived another hour."

The realization that Peppy could have died struck the vulpine somewhere in the back of his mind, and for a small moment he felt worry for his former mentor's condition. But then he reminded himself of their status. They were okay, they were going to live. Despite what happened after this they'd still be around. But the truth still remained, its single undeniable fact hitting the vulpine's conscious with every beat of his heart.

__If she dies then so will I.__

"Good." he managed to reply, wishing that he had sounded more grateful to hear the news.

But the rodent didn't call him on it, his years of experience telling him that the bond between the two foxes before him was stronger than any simple friendship could ever be. Instead he let out a sigh and after checking a few numbers on the machines turned for the exit, pausing at the door and looking back at the vulpine.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you like," he muttered, knowing that no one would be able to pull the fox away from her anyway, "There are showers down the hall and a cafeteria even further in case you get hungry."

__I won't be eating anything any time soon...__

"You know the situation," he said gently, "There is nothing else we can do but wait but please feel free to get a nurse if you need anything at all."

The vulpine looked up at the mouse, the faintest outline of tears in his eyes as he met the doctor's gaze before nodding, "I will. Thank you."

With that said the mouse returned the nod and stepped out into the hall, leaving the two foxes alone in the room once more.

__So that's it huh? Just sit here and wait for fate to decide? There isn't a damn thing I can do to help her?__

The feeling of helplessness was almost unbearable and it took every ounce of control for him to simply remain seated by her side and not to run out into the hallway in anger, demanding that someone figure out a way to increase her chances of survival. But he knew it would be pointless, the doctor had already said as much. The only one to blame for all of this was himself. He had promised to protect her, that's what mates did for each other, and he had failed.

__If I hadn't let Fara hurt her so bad, if I had just held to my promise and been there for her then none of this would have happened. It should be me laying there, not her.__

He leaned forward and brushed away one of her bangs, ignoring the dried blood that still remained on it and instead resting his paw on the side of her cheek. So badly he wanted to trade places with her, to ease her suffering and take the pain away. Yet there was nothing he could do, and it was driving him mad. The feeling was unreal, being forced to sit by her side as she tried to survive a beating that was completely his own fault. It made him want to lash out at the wall, to release the fury and emotion that was bottled up inside of him.

But he didn't.

Instead he only leaned forward and kissed the cerulean beauty on the lips, desperately wishing she was awake so she would kiss him back like she had done so many times before. He rested his head against hers for a second more before sitting back down and returning his paws to her own, taking one last glance at her sleeping form before allowing his head to rest by her waist, his ears pinned and tail on the floor as the desperateness of the situation overtook him.

__Please don't take her...I'll do anything, just let her live. Please.__

000


	34. Closer

_000_

"What's the news on the Cerenian?"

The nurse looked up from her chair and met the mouse's gaze, each of their expressions reflecting a need for sleep. She looked away almost instantly, turning to her computer and pulling up the sapphire vixen's reports on her screen.

"Heart rate steadily falling over the past few hours as is her blood pressure. I increased the IV drip to keep her asleep, but I'm not sure she'd wake up anyway."

"She wouldn't." he answered, casting a glance across the hall to the room where the two foxes remained, "Cerenians are like that when they're hurt."

__But then again, if she's as attached to that vulpine as he is to her then maybe that wouldn't matter.__

"They are a strange race." the beaver replied, looking over the very limited report that the vixen had. "Is it true they can read your thoughts?"

He nodded in response, remembering a past encounter he had once had with a Cerenian many years ago. At first it had scared him, then that fear had turned into surprise and envy as she continued to correctly guess the objects he was thinking of. But as time passed and that vixen became a memory both of those previous emotions were overtaken by a third, more universally shared feeling towards her and her powers.

Distrust.

He was sure that, like a vast number of Lylat's inhabitants, he too hadn't felt much remorse or sorrow when learning the news of Cerenia's demise, and for that he now felt guilty. They had never done anything to hurt him or do him wrong, but just knowing that they could get inside his head, knowing that his thoughts were readable to the outside world, it planted that same feeling of distrust and anger in him towards the Cerenian race that so many others shared.

__My shift ended thirty minutes ago. Perhaps that's why I'm still here. Is it for that fox?__

The mouse knew there was still basically nothing he could do to help the vixen and her mate at the moment, time still the only deciding factor concerning her, and what he could only guess, his fate. But still, he wanted to be here just in case. It had been 7 hours since their arrival, completing his 11 hour shift a little while ago, which was sadly par for the course these past few weeks. And even though he had told the vulpine that it would start within the next 12 hours, aka right now, he had decided not to mention that most of the struggle was already going on inside of the unconscious vixen's body.

__She's still alive though, as hard as that is to believe. Whatever it was that hurt her...it must have been some type of monster to have done that much damage to her insides. I've never seen anything like it.__

"I just wish there were more of them out there." he finally replied, looking around the hallway and realizing just how late it was.

"How come?" she replied, sparking annoyance within him at her reluctant and non-caring attitude.

He took a deep breath and turned away, doing his best to withhold a sharp response. This was just an example of what he had been thinking earlier. So many of Lylat's citizens felt the same way about Cerenians. So many of them had formed a biased opinion about this now endangered race of animals, most of them having not even seen one face to face, only knowing that they possessed powers that they themselves did not and hating them for it.

__I don't even know this vixen in there but I can tell she's just as nice and friendly as anyone else in the galaxy, Cerenian or not.__

"Because," he answered, his tone lower and more serious, "We're putting Cornerian blood into her body, which is just different enough from Cerenian blood to force a possible rejection."

The beaver still didn't looked too concerned and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that she had only been here a few weeks and had yet to grasp the true seriousness of this field of work, but that didn't stop him from adding another tone changing piece of information to it all.

"And if her body rejects it, not only will she die but it will be nothing short of insufferable the entire process."

__Unless we end things for her.__

He hated it when this happened. Even with all the technology at his disposal, all the new marvels of modern medicine at his side, with everything that Corneria, the galaxies most advanced planet in existence, there was nothing he could do now to help her chances of survival. He felt bad but he knew it was nothing compared to how the vulpine in the room with her was feeling. He didn't know the back story, he had no idea what had happened or who any of them were. Nor did he even know for sure that the two were even a couple, but considering they were two different races of fox he could rule out siblings.

__I wouldn't trade places with that guy for all the credits in the universe.__

He had tried to make things easier on the fox, having stopped by a few times to check on both him and the vixen, knowing that while he couldn't do anything for her that there was still a chance he could help out him. But as suspected the vulpine wasn't hungry, nor was he up to talking that much. In fact the most feedback he had managed to get from him was when he gave him another report on the rest of his friends. So far that had been the only time he had managed to see a look of something other than despair on his face as he told him the rest of his team was going to make a full recovery.

Seconds later though that look had vanished and he knew that as soon as he had left the room the fox had resumed his position by the vixen's side, holding her hand and resting his head by her waist. Something told him that the vulpine wasn't usually like this, that it wasn't in his nature to act in such a way. But this female fox, this vixen, she must have meant a lot to him. For him to grieve so badly over her simply being hurt, the mouse didn't want to imagine what he would do if she didn't survive.

__He'll probably kill himself.__

He felt guilty for thinking it but his years of experience told him that it was the most probable reaction considering how hard he was taking it. He didn't know for sure, but something told him that this fox wouldn't be able to go on without his mate by his side.

All of this, his nonexistent debt to the race of Cerenians, the unbelievably close bond between the two foxes, even the non-caring attitude of the nurse behind him, all of it continued to give him a reason to remain here until they got an answer. He had already been written off the clock but he would continue to work even further into the AM, if only to help the other on-duty interns and physicians and to keep an eye on her. He wanted to, no...__had __to be there when things reached there peak. Even if she didn't survive, he had to be there.

He looked back at the nurse who's expression was still somewhat shocked after hearing what he had to say about the vixen, but he didn't bother adding anything else. Instead he reached down and grabbed a few charts and, after casting one last glance across the hall at their room, turned down the hall.

"Page me if the Cerenian falls below 30," he called over his shoulder, hoping that such a notification would never come, "Other than that try to stay silent. I'm hoping for a slow night."

000

Seconds passed, slowly turning into minutes as the sight before her slowly yet surely became clearer and clearer. It took a while but before long her brain caught up with her eyes and finally the pink feline's train of thought began to piece together just exactly where she was at the moment.

__Ugh I feel so light headed and dizzy...__

Going by routine her brain ordered her paws to her eyes, wanting to rub the remaining blurriness away from her gaze. Yet no sooner had the order been given did a sharp pain run across her chest causing her to cry out before uttering a few expletives to top it off. She looked down at both of her shoulders, just managing to see two large patches on each one concealing some type of injury.

__What the hell? What happened? How did I get these?__

She caught herself in time, not allowing her mind to name off question upon stupid question that she knew she wouldn't have an answer for. Instead she tried to look back and recall what little she could from the night before.

__The last thing I remember...or at least I think I do...was Falco getting up to use the bathroom. Wasn't that it? Was that real or did I just dream it?__

At this point she couldn't manage to decide, the morphine running throughout her body plus the after-concussion headache she was still sporting proved to make it hard enough just to stay awake. She looked down at her hands, timidly working each finger and thankfully seeing a response from each.

"Well at least I can still move." she murmured to herself after acting out the same exercise with her feet.

"You'll be able to do much more than that after a few weeks of recovery."

Her gaze shot up to meet her newest guest, the feline a little perturbed that she hadn't noticed him enter. But then she took in her room once again and realized that it wasn't really a room at all, only a few curtains around a hospital bed. Apparently her injuries weren't that bad after all if they could keep her in such a relaxed environment as this one.

"What happened to me?" she asked after holding the mouse's gaze for a second more. "And my teammates...where are they?"

She bit her tongue, knowing he could only answer one question at a time and not wanting to get ahead of herself. She couldn't tell which was worse, not knowing what had happened to her or not knowing where the rest of her team was. If she had gotten hurt this bad, and the last place she remembered being was on the ship, then unless her injuries were self-inflicted someone else had to have done it. And if that were the case then the rest of her team would have been endangered as well.

__Surely it wasn't...nah...she wouldn't have...__

"You," the doctor replied, stepping forward and narrowing his gaze at one of the machines at her bedside, "Were stabbed just below each of your shoulder blades and lost a good amount of blood before we were finally able treat you."

The doctor paused and turned to face her, awaiting the female mercenary's reaction.

__Stabbed twice...okay well that much is obvious. So let's somehow just move past that. So the question is who did it? Damnit! I can't remember anything. It's all black!__

She let out a small breath as she remembered another setting of the previous night. She recalled going to bed now, sliding in beside Falco and resting her muzzle in his chest before finally falling asleep, the background noise of the television the only thing audible in the room as he flicked through channels.

__It's not falling asleep I remember so much as waking up. I remember it was dark. Not just dark dark, but really dark. Like, no light at all.__

"As for your teammates," he continued, jerking her from her thoughts, "They all suffered similar injuries as well, but..." he added, forcing a calming smile as the look of worry appeared on her face, "like you they will make a full recovery."

Relief made itself throughout her body but its effects were short lived as she caught the rodent's gaze. It was there that he betray himself and she could see it. After all these years as a mercenary she had long since learned how to read expressions, to look not just at the face but in the eyes and even deeper than that, and right now Katt Monroe was more than positive that this doctor was holding something back from her.

"All of them?" she asked, ignoring the long list of other questions that still filled her mind for a few seconds more.

The mouse held her line of sight for a few moments before finally letting out a sigh and looking at the ground. "I never was a great lair," he muttered, tossing the clipboard on a nearby table before pinching the base of his nose in exhaustion, "I just didn't want to tell any of you until afterward."

"After what?"

"To be honest," he continued, ignoring her question, "I didn't expect any of you to wake up before morning. You were all conked out pretty good when we brought you in. But of them all I'd say you got the least amount of damage dealt upon you so maybe that's why..."

__We were all hurt this bad? And I got the LEAST amount of damage! What the hell happened!__

"After what?" she managed to repeat, somehow managing to ignore the rest of her questions for a moment more. "What did you not want to tell me?"

He paused, a somewhat annoyed look on his face as he realized his attempts at sidetracked her had failed. "The vixen," he finally said, holding her gaze, "You know her? The Cerenian? She's your teammate I presume?"

__Krystal...__

"Yes." she replied, struggling to stay focused, all the questions that had been running wild in her mind just seconds ago now silenced. "What about her? Is she okay?"

The rodent continued to hold her gaze a few moments longer before letting out another sigh, "Look I'm just going to come out and say it because it's the truth." he started, holding her sight with a look of pure seriousness, "She may not make it through the night."

As soon as the sentence ended she could feel a cold chill run up her spine accompanied with a sick feeling that immediately hit her in the gut. Before hearing this everything had been confusing and hard to take in, having just woken up in a hospital with an injury she didn't recall receiving and then seconds later learning that the rest of her team was in the same shape. All of that had done a number on her and her mind had been struggling to put aside its own essay of questions in order to process it all.

But now, after learning that the closest friend she had ever had could possibly be dead before morning, that the rest of her life the pink feline wouldn't have the vixen to turn to when she needed, after hearing that, it all seemed to be too unreal.

__This has to be a dream. Either that or I just woke up to a nightmare.__

"Just tell me," she managed to say, trying to at least somewhat act like the Katt Monroe she had built up a reputation as. "What happened? What caused of all this?"

"In the words of the fox," he answered, wasting no time responding, "A monster. Something that wanted to kill you all."

Seconds once more seemed to slowly creep by as the pink feline struggled to process all of the hell that she had woken up to. It was hard to comprehend, going to bed next to the love of your life and waking up in a hospital with holes gorged into your body from a wound you couldn't remember receiving. Only then to learn that the closest friends she'd ever had also suffered the same thing and then be told that the only reason behind it all was that some type of monster wanted them all dead.

__So many questions I need answered...so much doesn't make sense. Where are we anyway? On Corneria ? Is everyone here? What about Fox? If he was able to tell the doctor what it was does that mean he's okay? And Falco...god please let him be okay.__

"Listen I know this is a lot to take in, and it must be rather stressful considering how short a time you've been awake after losing so much blood and suffering that concussion," he continued, causing her to timidly reach around the edges of her skull until she could feel the painful bruise. "So my advice to you is to just lay down and go back to sleep. Trust me, when you wake up your injuries will have healed even more and you'll be able to think much clearer and-

"No."

The sharp tone in her voice stopped the mouse mid-sentence and he could tell simply from that single word that she wouldn't agree to his request. To her, if there was ever a time to be awake, to be gathering information and trying to straighten everything out, it was now.

"I've got to see them." she added, the determination in her voice hardly covering up the slurred speech she still harbored from the morphine. Then, as if wanting to prove her willpower she slid her legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward, almost immediately falling into the waiting arms of the doctor who had foreseen the whole event.

"Your body is half asleep from the morphine..." he answered, easing her back against the side of the bed and giving her another look of concern.

"I don't care." she replied, attempting to press herself up from the sitting position her body was in, only to cry out in pain as the needle-like pain shot from her shoulders.

She looked up at the mouse and held his gaze, each of them determined to do what was best for someone else rather than themselves. But she knew one way or the other she'd get to her friends and after a few seconds more had passed the rodent seemed to get the same message from the determined look in her eyes.

"Christ..." he softly muttered, stepping back and closing his eyes in exhaustion. "Fine. But at least let me get you a wheelchair okay?"

000

__Please let her live. Please...__

The same thought had been running through his mind for the past few hours and he wasn't really sure if it was a prayer or just his own mind on the fritz. Regardless he couldn't seem to think of anything else other than the blue vixen that laid before him and ways he could possibly help her chances of survival.

The nurse had visited him hourly but had done nothing more than check a few machines and ask him if he needed anything before disappearing once again. The doctor however had only returned once, but the vulpine knew he was constantly walking by the room and looking in through the window. But it didn't matter. Not if he couldn't do anything else.

__I can't sit here and just let you die!__

**_**There's nothing you can do.**_**

In the background the heart monitor played its signature 'beep' every second or so, but he had noticed its gradual change over the past few hours. It had been getting slower and slower and he knew the reason why. The nurse had taken the liberty to explain what would happen upon her last visit, although he hadn't really wanted to hear about it. But he had listened as she had explained it. The vixen's heart would struggle to accept the wrong blood type, slowing and slowing as more and more of it ran through her system.

"We just have to hope that her heart can hold out."

The words sill echoed in his mind and he knew all too well why things were like they were.

__She lost so much blood because I failed to protect her. I should have been there to stop Fara. It's my fault Krystal is like this...I deserve to die, not her. She deserves so many things, but dying will never be one of them.__

"In this state, considering the medication and the fact that she's a Cerenian, her heart rate may drop as low as 20, but even that is dangerously low. Anything more than that and her heart may just stop altogether."

__I wish she had just stopped talking and left.__

He looked up at the holter monitor, his gaze resting on the double digit number that represented her current heart rate.

34

__Please just stay there.__

No sooner had the thought left him did the number fall to 33 causing the vulpine to tighten his grip on the vixen's paw. From behind him he heard the door open and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it hadn't been an hour yet but he still didn't bother turning around, at least, not until his guest spoke up.

"Fox."

000


	35. Answers

_000_

2 Hours Later*

Katt's arrival had ended up being a good thing. He couldn't figure out why, maybe it was just simply having someone by his side who was almost as attached to the sapphire vixen as he was. He wasn't sure but regardless, despite the direness of the situation, just getting to talk to someone who could truly understand the importance that Krystal played in his life seemed to give him a little reassurance about the whole matter.

"She'll make it." Katt had said confidently, sitting beside the vulpine in the wheelchair the doctor insisted she use, "Krystal isn't the type to just give up."

__But she's been through so much already. So much pain and suffering...and it's all because of me.__

He hadn't been able to find the right words to respond to the pink feline and could only muster a nod before tightening his grip around the vixen's paw. He knew Katt was just trying to think positive, that she was just trying to help not only him, but herself in this rough time, and it had some effect on them both for a little while. But that number, that damn number on the monitor...it kept slipping, falling lower and lower as time progressed. He wasn't a doctor, he had no idea what any of this stuff did, but one thing had been made clear to him; the lower that number was, the smaller her chances.

And right now it was 22.

__Please stop falling. Please! I'll do anything, just stop it!__

He wasn't sure who or what he was pleading to, but at this point it didn't matter. Any god that might have happened to exist was now his savior and he'd gladly dedicate his life to worshiping it if only to see the blue fox before him make it through all of this. But as before, if there was any supernatural being willing to help the vixen in her situation at the moment, it hadn't made itself known.

Katt's arrival had somewhat relieved him, giving the vulpine actual proof that what the doctor had told him was true. His friends were okay, they had survived despite the injuries they had suffered because of his carelessness. If nothing else, he'd have them by his side after all of this was over. But that was just it, there __was __nothing else. Not if she didn't make it. No matter how close he was to his team he knew that none of them could ever fill the gap that his life would have without Krystal by his side.

The doctor had explained Katt's awakening and told him a few things, mentioning she had some questions and was still circulating morphine in her veins so she might doze off at any time. And she did. But not until an hours time had passed and the two had been silently talking and reassuring the other. He had explained everything that had happened, how Fara had snuck aboard the ship and picked them off like flies, making sure that no one died any way other than slowly and painfully. He told her how he failed to stop her, twice, and how he heard, and eventually watched Fara all but kill Krystal.

He didn't go much further than that, and Katt didn't try to force it out of him. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the sight he had seen, his entire team laying on the floor of GreatFox's lounge, blood everywhere. That image was already burned into his own mind, why try to install it into Katt's?

Finally the conversation shifted from the events from the night before to the events transpiring then and there. He did his best to explain what was happening to the vixen. He tried to keep his voice steady as he told her how Krystal had lost so much blood that she had almost died, only to be brought here and somehow saved. He told her how Cerenian blood was non-existent in the Lylat system after the planet's destruction and that Cornerian fox blood was the closest blood type to it and would have to be used instead.

"Will it work?" she had asked, her concerned gaze locking onto his, hoping for a good answer.

But that was the question that no one knew the answer to, and wouldn't for another few hours. No doctor in the galaxy could step up and say, without a single doubt in their mind, that the sapphire vixen before them was going to die or survive such a large blood transfusion. Based on the looks of things though, he couldn't help but guess the odds were against them.

"We don't know." he managed to say, holding her gaze for a second more before feeling another paw around his. He took Katt's hand in his own and struggled to think of something reassuring to follow-up the seriousness of the statement he had made. But nothing else would represent the truth better than those three words.

__But we should know! I shouldn't have let this happen in the first place! If I was the leader I should have been, if I truly loved her, I would have been able to prevent all of this.__

Afterward they sat in silence, both of them simply watching the sleeping vixen, part of him finding it hard to believe that such a beautiful sight could be suffering so much beneath the surface There was no visible struggle to it, the doctor had told him that would be the case. It was all in her heart. The only signs they would receive from her to indicate a struggle would be represented on the holter monitor, and so far it had done nothing but silently sit there and beep every so often, indicating another drop in her heart rate.

He had learned to hate the sound.

__21__

Katt had nodded off eventually but he hadn't noticed. Eventually the nurse returned and, after checking a few of the instruments and giving the vulpine a hopeful look, turned towards the exit before noticing the sleeping feline.

"Honey would you like me to take you back to your bed?"

She had spoken loud enough and even asked the question a second time slightly reworded, only to once again get no response from Katt. He looked over and watched the rise and fall of her chest to make sure the pink cat was still breathing, the smallest of smiles making its way across his face as he realized she had simply fallen asleep. Yet no sooner had the smile arrived was it erased, his thoughts reminding him all too easily of why Katt was like this.

__You allowed this to happen to her, to all of them. She's in this state just as Krystal is hers, and its all your fault.__

"The doctor said she might fall asleep because of the morphine." he said softly, shooting a quick glace over at the sleeping vixen as another gut-wrenching beep came from the heart monitor.

The nurse noticed it as well and, as if grasping the seriousness of the situation, decided to do exactly what he had been hoping for.

"Well I'll just take her back to her bed," she answered, stepping behind the wheelchair, "She needs to rest anyway."

He managed to nod in response, watching the two leave and head down the hall before sighing and turning back to Krystal. He was so stirred up inside it was almost unbearable. Right now, as he sat there and so easily watched, she was fighting for her life.

__Again. So many times she could have been killed because I couldn't protect her. And so many times I promised myself I'd never let it happen again. Damnit! What's wrong with me! The only thing I've ever brought to her is pain and suffering! She's given me everything though! I should be the one laying there god damnit! Not her! Me!__

Part of him was infuriated, not at anyone other than himself. Yes, Fara had done the physical damage but somewhere in his heart and mind he knew that this was all because of him. Seconds passed and the thoughts continued to run through his head before he finally found himself thinking the same question over and over again.

"What did either of you ever see in me?" he muttered softly, looking at her paw and gently running his fingers along their fur.

000

"Hows the Cerenian doing?"

The mouse tossed a few of the clipboards he had been carrying around down on the counter of the nurse's station, resting his elbows on the surface and looking down at the beaver. He had now been there for 15 hours or so and the prolonged shift was definitely beginning to take its toll on him, but every time he thought about heading home and collapsing onto his bed his brain would flash that same image across again.

That sight of the vulpine holding her hand, knowing that he had never left her side more than once, maybe twice to use the restroom and drink some water. He was to her what all males were supposed to be to their mates.

Faithful.

Besides, the way he saw it he'd be better off staying till morning. At this point he'd only be home for 6 or 7 hours before his next shift started, a thought that caused him to reconsider his field of work more times than once so far that night.

"Vitals are still decreasing," the nurse replied, looking over her chart. "Heart rate is now at...20." she finally said after looking over at her computer screen. "If it get's much lower I don't think-

"I know." he answered, cutting her off and turning away, "Thanks Debra."

__20 beats per minute. The average is at least 60, and that's being generous. Her heart must really be struggling to process all that blood. If only she hadn't lost so much...if only we had Cerenian blood...__

He paused in front of the door to the vixen's room, not bothering to be discreet, knowing that the vulpine by her side wouldn't look his way. He stood there for a few minutes, the fatigue of his extraordinarily long shift seeming to press down on his mind and body. It had been somewhat slow, and to be honest his addition to the already present crew made things a lot easier on everyone, but still simply being awake for so long, it was stressful to say the least, and part of him wanted nothing more than to head to the break room and take a nap.

__I'd never be able to sleep.__

It almost bugged him that for some unknown reason he had been so heavily affected by a patient. Sure his first few years had been like this, having allowed himself to become emotionally attached to a few of the patients that came in here and then having to deal with the grief of them passing. But as time marched on so did he, and his heart seemed to have hardened over the years. It didn't mean he didn't feel pity or remorse for the families of a lost loved one anymore, but he had just learned to somehow live with it, to put it behind him and simply focus on doing what he could to save the next one.

__But this time...why can't I turn away from these two? What is it about these foxes that keep me here?__

Things had been quiet for the last hour or so and he allowed himself to grab a cup of coffee before returning to the nurses station. Minutes passed as he sat behind the beaver, looking past her wide form at the screen that portrayed the Cerenian's status. Every so often the nurse would get up and go to check on her and the vulpine but other than that nothing seemed to change. It was an inward struggle at this point and the mouse felt much like the vulpine at a couple of times, annoyed that there wasn't anything he could do to help her.

__We've got to be getting close. It's been more than 9 hours, I know I told him 12 but that was just to keep him from knowing...maybe I shouldn't have done that. Regardless, the process must be nearing it's climax.__

Time continued to slink by and he continued to follow along with it, taking sips from his coffee and carelessly watching the few nurses and doctors walk up and down the hall. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, and for the most part he had lost track, focusing rather on the occasional glace at the screen to his right and the cold, very much needing sugar, coffee in his mug.

"Mark."

The utterance of his name, and the serious tone that came with it, jerked him back to reality and he looked over at the nurse, instantly meeting her urgent gaze. She didn't have to say anything else, the mouse immediately rising from his chair and quickly making his way over to the computer, looking over the reports and easily seeing what had grabbed her attention.

__She's dropping. This is it.__

"You want me to call for a crash cart?" she called after him, beginning to stand and reach for the phone.

He paused for a moment, running the same simulations through his mind now that he had been thinking all night, knowing the answer to every single one of them lead to the same thing.

"No. It won't make a difference." he replied, looking back at her and firmly nodding as she slowly sat back down and returned the gesture. He turned back towards the room and continued on, thrusting his hand in his pocket and checking to make sure the bottle of barbiturate was still there. He didn't want to resort to using the drug, it was the last thing he had ever wanted to do to anyone. Just the thought of ending another life, when his job was to save them, it was almost inconceivable.

But there were circumstances that looked past that. When the pain was unbearable, when death was imminent but prolonged and hard to bear, this drug could fix all of that.

__He'd probably kill me afterward.__

He shoved the thoughts out of his head, not wanting to focus on the worst-case scenario at this point. He opened the door, surprised to see the vulpine standing face to face with him, a worried, desperate look on his expression as he met him.

"What's happening?" he asked, stepping back and returning to her side, a look of despair overtaking him.

He looked up at the holter monitor, knowing it would be showing the same thing as it had been outside on the computer. He waited a moment, his eyes resting on the 16 for only a few seconds before watching it fall to 15.

__Yes this is it. This is the precipice of the whole procedure.__

"I'll give you the good news bad news run down again." he replied quickly, reaching forward and resting his hand on her wrist to check her pulse physically just to be sure. "The good news is that I lied to you earlier. The process should actually be nearing its end any time now." he looked up at the vulpine to see his reaction which still reflected nothing but desperation and hope.

"The bad news is that her heart is also choosing this same time to wear down."

"Can't you do anything?" he asked, the pleading tone in his voice making the doctor feel even more useless.

He began to reach for the bottle in his pocket but decided against it. __No. She won't wake from this, I just cant see it happening. All we can do is just wait.__

"I'm sorry." he managed to reply, looking away and trying to forget the look of dismay on the vulpine's face.

He looked down at the fox who was now leaning over her and placing his hand on her heart, his head resting against hers. He could see the tears running down his face and could only imagine what it was he was whispering to her as another couple of beeps echoed in the background from the monitor. The sight was nothing short of unbearable and the mouse found himself clinching his fists in anger and equaled desperation as he searched his mind for any possible way to help the situation.

__Of all the modern medicine in the galaxy...is there nothing?__

The monitor beeped again and he looked up at it, his gaze resting on the number reflected as 12.

__She won't make it. I've never seen anyone drop lower than 15 before their heart just quit.__

But despite his reluctant assumptions the number fell even lower, hitting 11 and eventually 10. Ignoring his disbelief he looked back down at the foxes, the vulpine's paw still resting over her heart, his head still against hers as he continued to whisper, almost as if the two were talking.

000

__Take my life. Just let her live. Please. Take me instead. She doesn't deserve this, I do. Please...__

**_**Fox...**_**

__It should me, not her.__

**_**Please...Fox...**_**

__I let this happen to her. I deserve to die in her stead.__

**_**No! Fox listen!**_**

__K-Krystal?__

**_**Don't you ever think any of this is your fault. No matter what happens, never think that.**_**

__But I can't live without you! I couldn't make it! I need you here with me.__

_**_**Yes you could...you 'could' make it Fox. You're stronger than that. I know you are. It's one of the reasons I love you so much.**_**_

__I'm only strong because I have you. If you're gone...Krystal I can't...__

**_**Oh Fox, you're always doubting yourself. You're stronger than you think. You're so much more than you'd ever believe.**_**

__Not without you. You make me what I am.__

**_**You make yourself what you are Fox.**_**

__You're everything I've got...you're my whole life...and I let this happen to you...__

**_**No you didn't Fox.**_**

__I let Fara hurt you...again. Even after I promised I'd keep you safe...__

**_**You won the only battle you were ever a part of in all of this. You followed your heart. Despite everything Fara did to us...in the end you followed your heart, not your mind. You have nothing to feel guilty over.**_**

__I promised I'd protect you...__

_**_**That's all you've ever done **_**_**__**for me Fox.**__**

__Please Krystal...don't leave me...please...__

**_**Fox...**_**

__I've lost everyone else in my life I've ever loved. My mother, my father...__

**_**Fox**_**

__I can't lose you too. I just can't. Please Krystal...without you...I just can't go on living.__

"Fox."

A number of things happened then, the first being his arousal from an unconscious state of mind he never remembered falling into.

Just vaguely he could recall the mental words he had shared with the vixen, all of it seeming like a dream and leaving his mind unable to decide if it was legitimate. Then the second change was brought to his attention as his ears picked up on a sound he had yet to hear up until this point. In the background, coming from the direction that he knew to be the heart monitor, came a faster, more constant ping.

Slowly his gaze rose up, his muzzle gently brushing the sapphire vixen's cheek and causing his eyes to rest on hers once more.

"Krystal...

For a moment there was no response from her and he found himself wondering if he'd imagined the vixen softly murmuring his name seconds ago. Timidly he looked over at the mouse by the side of the bed, a look of shock on his face as his gaze ran from the holter monitor to the vulpine.

"I...I don't believe it."

At hearing this he quickly looked back over at Krystal, his whole body immediately freezing in angst as his line of sight met her own, once again seeing the look of life in her emerald gaze that he loved so much.

"Krys-

"I would never leave you."

He held her gaze for the slightest of moments longer, his stunned expression causing her to smile softly before turning her head and easing her mouth against his own.

He wasn't sure if the conversation had been real or not, or if the steady pinging sound coming from the heart monitor was a good sign or bad one, or even if the worst part was over or still to come. But he did know one thing. The sapphire vixen before him...the love of his life...his entire world...everything that he had left...

Was alive.

000


	36. Explanations

_000_

"General Pepper."

His voice was firm and determined, the vulpine doing his absolute best to appear calm and confident before the planet's highest ranking military official. He had known something such as this would happen eventually, in some form or fashion. So the fact that it had only been 2 weeks since the entire incident seemed about right to him, as part of the team was now staying in a hotel since Krystal had finally been released from the hospital.

__I'm not sure if talking to Pepper about it before anyone else is a good or bad thing.__

So far the only one who knew anything about the entire incident that wasn't a member of the team was the doctor who treated them all, but all that was about to change. Papetoon's media could already be in a frenzy and it would spread like wildfire throughout the Lylat system if Fara's father demonstrated his vast wealth in an effort to find his daughter.

To find Fox.

__We were the last ones seen with her, surely he knows she was with us. Man...when he finds out she's dead...__

Part of him felt sorry for her father, his mind only assuming that the pain of losing ones child was much like that of losing his own father. But another part of him could care less. After what Fara had done to them, after all the pain and suffering she had brought upon his friends, upon Krystal...

"Hello Fox," the canine replied, nodding towards a chair across from his desk before adding, "Take a seat."

He casually stepped across the room, looking around and admiring the memorabilia that it housed on the various shelves and walls. He could only guess that this was one of Pepper's many offices and that he chosen to meet at this one because of how close to the city it was. Lowering himself down into the chair he looked up and met the General's gaze, slightly perturbed that he couldn't get any expression from the dog other than one of exhaustion.

"You know why you're here?" the canine asked, holding the his gaze.

He nodded in response.

"Good." he replied, leaning back and letting out a sigh, the more relaxed and open Pepper now taking over. "That makes one of us then."

A few seconds passed before the vulpine could process just exactly what Pepper meant by the statement. __Does he not have any idea what happened? Anything at all?__

"Sir?" he managed to spit out, still unsure of just what it was he needed to say.

"You've put me in a tight spot McCloud, you know that?"

"General I-

"But that's nothing new I suppose," he went on, waving a paw over his shoulder and leaning forward once again, "So let me just say what I need to. Whether or not you choose to allow me to help you, well, that's your call."

He decided not to respond and Pepper took it as a sign to continue, "It's obvious to everyone that something happened on your ship a couple of weeks ago. I've got reports from officials claiming that a good portion of GreatFox was covered in blood. I've also received reports that Fara was found dead when you were intercepted, I'm hoping you can answer that one for me as well."

"Now don't get upset quite yet," he continued, catching the faint look of worry in the vulpine's eyes, "While I don't know what went down on your ship I still decided to take it under the jurisdiction of the military for personal matters. You and Fara are both like children to me...annoying, trouble-making, very expensive children. It's because of that connection that I would like to know just exactly what it is I'm dealing with here and if I should keep the whole thing under the rug or not. Because Rick has some questions for me and I need to know what kind of answers to give him."

The mention of Fara's father caused another wave of uneasiness to run throughout the vulpine's body. This was what he had been afraid of. Not only would he have to explain just what it was that happened, but afterward he'd have to hope that everyone believed him, or at least everyone who would ever find out about it.

__And her father...of course he did…or he will. When Fara didn't return he must have known something was up.__

"No." he answered, shaking his head before looking briefly out the window then back at Pepper. "No I don't want this to get into the open."

__Things are hard enough on the team already.__

"Then tell me Fox." the canine replied, "Tell me what happened."

He swallowed the uneasy feeling that had made its way up his throat before taking a breath and nodding back.

"Fine." he started, "It was a little over three weeks ago-

000

"How you feel?"

"Like I got the hell beat out of me."

The vixen shot Katt a playful grin, allowing a laugh to escape her and then wincing at the pain that accompanied it. She had been sleeping on one of the beds in their room for the entire day and doing so was driving her nuts. So badly she had wanted to go with Fox to see General Pepper, to be there to back him up when he told the leader about the atrocities that the fennec fox had been responsible for. But he had insisted she stay, his eyes begging her to remain behind so she could rest and recover, an all too guilt-ridden look still residing in his expression as he took the blame for her current state.

__Besides how could I go with him when I can barely walk?__

So despite her desires she had been forced to kiss the vulpine off before watching him make his way out the door and into the hallway. Afterward she had made her way into the bedroom and, after checking in on Katt and Falco, allowed herself to fall asleep on the queen size mattress. It was the best thing she could do for herself and she knew it, but it still made her envy the outside world more and more with every passing second.

Time had dripped by and finally she had decided she had slept enough, allowing her mind to drift from its unconscious state only to be looking across the room at Katt who was watching a muted tv with a bored look on her face. She was still sporting a wrap on each of her shoulders, but it was obvious that out of them all the pink feline's injuries were the closest to being fully healed.

"Anything you want me to get for you?" she asked, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and looking across at her. "I think there's a mini-fridge in our room. There's probably some drinks in there if Falco hasn't found them yet.

The vixen nodded in response, doing her best to mimic her pink friend's actions as she sat up and fought the pain in her stomach.

"Yeah grab us something," she answered, almost insisting that she could do it herself but knowing Katt would just fight her until she got it her own way.

She watched Katt jump up, basically no sign of the former injuries playing a part at this point. The same could almost be said for the others as well, but Peppy and Slippy seemed to still like a few more days. All of their injuries had been bad and apparently Fara had planned on making them as painful as possible. Katt and Falco had been struck hard, but they were much tougher than Slippy and Peppy, perhaps that was why they were almost back to their old selves while the two mechanics still struggled somewhat.

__At least they are okay though. As long as they are still alive...as long as he's still alive.__

Her thoughts returned to Fox just as they had done so many times that day already. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and never let go again, to just cling onto his loving body and let him take her away. That was all she had ever wanted. Before Fara had arrived, while she was with them, and after it was all said and done, that was all she wanted. She still hadn't told him that she'd been able to hear his thoughts and pleas the entire time he was by her side at the hospital, and maybe she never would. Maybe that was one thing she just needed to put inside of her heart and lock away to keep as a constant reminder of just how much the vulpine really cared about her.

__I wish he was here now. It seems like he's been gone for days.__

They had finally released her the day before, giving Fox a few prescriptions and telling her to just take it easy and within another week she'd start to feel like her old self. The rest of the team had already been told about GreatFox being impounded and had instead pooled together what little credits they had left to buy a couple of rooms at a hotel. It didn't seem right, living outside of GreatFox, especially considering that the place had basically been home to them all for so long. But they had no choice.

Well…some of them did.

Peppy's family had wasted no time in visiting the hare in the hospital before taking him back home to stay with his daughter Lucy. And Slippy had only stayed a day later before Amanda had arrived, offering to take care of him, in which Slippy nervously accepted. Afterward there were only four of them left, hence the two rooms they currently shared as they continued to walk the road to recovery.

__I just hope this all blows over. I know Pepper will try to help us but I've been in Fox's mind, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy's too, and every one of them seemed worried about what might happen.__

"Here."

The voice caused her to look back up, her gaze resting on the water bottle in Katt's hand. She grabbed it and took a drink, casting a glance over at the pink feline as she mimicked the action with a coke. It all seemed so calm and peaceful right now, like they were all so relaxed. But it still felt like the true blow of what had really happened the past few weeks had yet to connect.

Fara was dead. Killed with her own blaster. Her team, her friends, they had almost died as well...as did she. But somehow they had all survived and were alive and well once more. The hellish nightmare that had been a reality was now appearing more like a dream, at least in __her__ mind.

__Is it over now? Can we finally move on with our lives? Our...new lives...__

"Thanks," she replied, pulling the bottle from her lips and setting it down on the bedside table.

Seconds passed and the two remained silent only for a short time before Katt spoke up again, jumping right into another conversation, "What do you think Pepper said to Fox?"

__And I thought __I__was the telepath.__

She knew that their fate rested in Pepper's hands at this point. She had been unconscious when the ship had been boarded and evacuated but Fox's thoughts had replayed the scene more than enough times for her to have memorized it herself. Of course it had to have been suspicious finding a ship and its crew in such a state, and part of her could understand why Pepper would feel obligated to look into it. But the one question still remained...

__Will he believe Fox? Will he believe that Fara did what she did?__

"I don't know." she replied, looking towards the door and wishing that the vulpine would enter through it. "But after all of...that..." she added, spitting out the word as she referenced all they had been through, "it might not have been good."

"I guess it depends on how much Pepper knows." Katt answered.

"And whether or not he believes what Fox tells him."

Another few thought filled seconds slipped between them before the pink mercenary replied, "Well if he doesn't believe that Fara did this then who will they blame for it? Fox?"

__He was the only one not injured when they rescued us. I know its more than obvious to someone who doesn't know the better, but surely Pepper won't accuse him...right?__

"They wouldn't." she answered, her tone somewhat worried as she thought about her mate. "We all know who it was, its our word against that of someone who is dead."

"You're right." Katt responded, leaning back down on the bed and gazing up at the ceiling, "I just wish we had some proof though. Something to back it all up and prove to Pepper that what we're saying is the truth."

__Fox knows better than us all what went down, and Pepper trusts him. What Fara became, it's hard to believe but its true, but no one but me and Fox saw her like that...when she was that monster.__

She couldn't help but let out a sigh before allowing herself to copy the feline's action and timidly laying back down on the bed. Her whole body still seemed to have one single pulse and it was __more__ than obvious that her ribs had been broken and her insides smashed up. It hurt to move...anything. But it was getting better as time went on an she could only think that had Fox been laying in the bed beside her that the pain she felt running up her torso would be all but unnoticeable.

__I just want to put all this behind us and move on. If Pepper believes Fox...maybe we can.__

000

"That's a lot to take in."

"It's the truth." he replied, holding Pepper's gaze, "Every word."

The hound had listened silently as he gave him the complete story of just what it was that had made things play out the way they had. He told Pepper how Fara had invited herself to visit all of the sudden out of nowhere and how she had offered to help the ship and crew. How her and Krystal almost instantly seemed to clash with each other. He even told him bits and pieces about getting drunk and walking in on the blue vixen.

It felt so weird telling all of this to the General of the Cornerian army, and a huge part of him wanted to just stop and keep it a secret. But for some reason he couldn't hold back. It was as if he was the patient and Pepper was the therapist. Once he started confessing all that had went wrong those past few weeks it just seemed to keep pouring out of the vulpine and the canine merely listened and nodded every now and then to show he was still following him.

"I don't know what happened to Fara, it's like she just became obsessed." he added, looking up at the general. "She promised to kill Krystal and that she'd have me for herself, that she'd stop at absolutely nothing to have what she wanted..."

At first Pepper didn't reply, his gaze resting on the vulpine for a few seconds before finally flicking towards the computer to his right.

"Much like yourself," he finally answered, typing in a few commands, "I knew Fara extremely well. In fact I have kept in touch with her father so well over the years that 3 months ago he sent me this."

As he finished the sentence a transmission flashed into place on the table and the vulpine scooted forward to look it over. It didn't appear to be anything special but that was before he actually read it over and took in the wave of disbelief that accompanied it.

"It's an invitation," Pepper continued, watching him read, "To a wedding."

"Fara's wedding." the vulpine muttered softly in response, looking up from the letter and meeting his gaze.

__She was getting married?__

"It was actually set to go off four weeks ago. Three days before she messaged you and invited herself to stay." Pepper spoke up, removing the image from the screen and almost immediately pulling up another one. "But then this happened."

This time it was Fara herself that appeared before him, now wearing the traditional white dress brides wore on the day of their wedding. But where the scene should have been joyous and happy, where there was usually smiles and laughter, he saw only heartache and pain. The picture looked like it was hastily taken and was somewhat blurry. Fara hadn't been looking right at the camera but rather at the ground, a cold, anguished expression on her face as her father stood behind her with another fox that the vulpine remembered as one of Fara's friends.

"It was a private wedding." Pepper stated, "That's why there's such a small crowd."

"What happened?" he asked, part of him still somewhat enjoying the look of pain on Fara's face.

"Stood up at the alter. The vulpine she was supposed to marry didn't show."

Despite everything she had done to him and his friends he couldn't help but acknowledge the smallest prick of pity that tugged at his heart now as he realized the true state that Fara's life had been in before she arrived on GreatFox.

__She was almost like me then...just wanting someone, anyone in their life.__

He looked closer at the image, his gaze resting on Fara as he tried to read her expression. It was one of heartache and pain yes, but he could see what lay beneath it, he knew that cold heartless look that was in her eyes all too well. It was a look of revenge, a look that promised repercussion and pain to those that had hurt her. She was the same as she had always been, even in this picture.

"Two days later the supposed groom was found dead at his residence on Papetoon, along with his parents. But since that planet isn't under my jurisdiction I was only told what Rick allowed the press to tell me, and the rest of Lylat. But I'm sure you can guess...

"Fara."

Pepper nodded in response before typing in a few more commands, this time pulling up a video on the screen behind him.

"This was pulled from a surveillance feed just outside of our main communications base two and a half weeks ago."

They watched in silence as the dimly lit hallway rested for a few seconds before the door at the end opened up and a figure quickly made its way towards them. He already knew who it was, he could tell from the way she moved, the way she looked over her shoulder and slightly crouched with every step. The stealth based clothing didn't disguise the culprit behind this, not from Fox, and apparently not from Peppy either.

"Minutes later the soldier manning that station was found dead and the logs erased from the system to indicate any transmissions made." Pepper commented, pausing the video right as Fara looked away from the camera, "This got our attention, but we still kept it under wraps because __we __weren't sure of who it was."

"But you knew didn't you?" the vulpine asked, looking back from the video to the hound, "You knew it was her, you could tell just as I could."

"I had my guesses," he answered, exiting out of the video and turning his chair to one side, "The clues were all there, but they were hard to piece together. It wasn't until my secretary notified me that you had stopped by for an appointment that we had never scheduled, claiming that you received a transmission from one of my men, that it all came together."

"Why didn't you do anything?" he blurted out, knowing it was a stupid question the second he did.

"What could I do?" Pepper asked, looking back at him with a look of sadness, "If I tried to arrest Fara on such scratchy evidence as __that,__" he added emphasis by motioning towards the video projector, "Not only would the jury decide against me, but her wealth have her back out in space within 24 hours. Plus whatever it was that she had been planning, she would have done it quicker and more efficiently once she knew we were on to her."

__That makes no sense at all! If Pepper had known it was Fara then why didn't he stop her! He could have prevented all of this!__

**_**You know he's right. Don't be stupid. At the level Fara was at, after all she had been through, she wouldn't have stopped. Once she got loose again she'd never quit...**_**

"To be honest," he continued, "I really didn't know what Fara had planned, only that things were going pretty bad for her and that her father had no idea where she had ran off to. He asked me to post a watch for her and I agreed, but other than that I really couldn't interfere with the matter. That is until now."

The realization that someone other than himself and Krystal had been able to figure it all out, to piece it all together from a 3rd party point of view, it both annoyed an surprised him. Especially since it was Pepper all along.

"We searched the computer on your ship Fox. It has a log of that same transmission that was sent from our base and with that bit of evidence we can seal this away. The only problem we'll have to deal with is...well, __I'll __have to deal with…is Rick. He won't like what I have to tell him but if he's anything like I remember then he'll grit his teeth and keep quiet once I hold this over his head long enough."

"So what do you want me to do?" he asked, assuming that there was now a chance that this might all work out if he had Corneria's government backing him up.

Pepper rose from his chair and stretched, stifling a yawn before motioning for Fox to rise as well.

"For starters I want you to take this envelope and deposit the check into your bank account. Consider that my penance for not stepping in and helping you sooner." he slid the letter across the table, adding a firm look with it that told the vulpine he'd better take it or else.

"As for everything else well...you've done your part. You stopped her, that's important, and self-defense is not against the law. You've also given me all the information I'll need in order to lock this away for good."

"But what about Fara?" he managed to ask, spitting out the name that he now hated. "There will be questions...

"It's amazing how Arwing's these days can malfunction when entering a planet's atmosphere isn't McCloud?"

"..sir?" he managed to reply, somewhat shocked at the general's calmness.

__I never knew him to be so on top of things, its like he knew all of this was going to happen all along and was able to plan out every move.__

"You go in a degree too high and you skip off into space, you go in a degree too low and you burn up like a piece of paper."

"Yes sir."

"I'll take care of everything Fox, you just worry about your team. And that vixen of yours."

"Pepper I-

"That's all McCloud."

The vulpine struggled to keep himself from blurting out one of the many questions that was bouncing around in his head. Sure Pepper seemed have everything covered, and maybe he did. Maybe he would be able to silence the fennec fox's father and the citizens of Papetoon who might question the fate of Fara Phoenix. Maybe he would be able to cover this all up and sweep it under the rug and help Fox and his team back on his feet.

Maybe.

He nodded at the general, the gesture being returned firmly before he did an about face and headed for the exit, his mind still swirling with thoughts.

__I've still got so many questions. Damnit, that seems like all I've got anymore though. Just questions.__

Somehow he refrained from saying anything else and instead stepped into the nearby elevator before flipping open the envelope and siphoning through a few miscellaneous pieces of paper until he reached the one he knew to look for. He pulled the check out and squinted down at it, his heart almost stopping as he took in the number listed on it.

__Five-hundred thousand credits...__

Shock overtook him for a few seconds, keeping him nailed in place until the ding of the elevator doors finally jerked him back to reality. He glanced down at the check again, looking it over to make sure he had seen it correctly and that it wasn't a fake.

__Five-hundred thousand...__

Despite the worrisome thoughts that still resided in him it took all his self control to keep from jumping into the air and screaming like a pup right then, which would have been nothing short of hilarious in the crowded lounge full of military personnel. Instead though he somehow managed to merely sport the stupidest looking of grins as he made his way across the floor and towards the exit, his eyes falling on one final sentence that he knew to be Pepper's handwriting.

**_**Oh and don't worry about your ship or the hospital bills, I've got those covered.**_**

"Crazy bastard," he managed to mutter, almost laughing as he stepped outside.

__Still so many questions and so much stuff to do. But maybe it'll all work out. This is step one right here, and after I put this in the bank I'm going to get started on step two...just as soon as I can get her back into my arms.__

000


	37. Perfect

_000_

"Wow. Already?"

The vixen watched him from across the room, the excitement and happiness in her mate's voice making her wonder even more who he was talking to.

"So...just any time?...Just whenever we want?...No bills or anything?"

The disbelief on his face made her smile yet she didn't bother diving into his thoughts to figure out just exactly what was being said on the other end of the line. He'd tell her soon enough, though she couldn't help but already have a good guess as to what it would be about.

__This past week, ever since Fox went to see Pepper things have been perfect. It's almost like a dream, almost __too__perfect to be real. With the ship, the credits, and how Pepper managed to keep this whole thing under wraps...it's like karma has finally decided to favor us.__

It had been six days since Fox had visited with the general and came back to tell them the amazing news. It had been nothing short of celebratory in the room as the vulpine, with a unmasked grin on his face, told them how it had went. She had thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him seconds after, Katt doing the same to Falco, as they watched their lives slowly get pieced back together. Afterward they had contemplated going out to eat at one of Corneria's most prestigious restaurants but decided against it, all of them just as happy eating at any regular place.

But when they had finally decided on a place to go, they ATE. The vixen's stomach had healed magnificently over the past week and even though the pain still remained while performing some actions, it wasn't enough to keep her chowing down on the unlimited buffet numerous times.

__I couldn't remember the last time we all were so full. After rationing food on GreatFox for so long, getting to eat like that...__

She smiled to herself as she remembered how sick they all had felt afterward, but it had been worth it and she knew they'd do it again if the option came along. After that they had split, the falcon and his pink mate taking off in one direction, her and Fox in another, as they took off to see the town. The feeling that they both shared the entire time they were out there...it was one she never wanted to lose. To be able to feel so happy and carefree, to hold the hand of the one she loved more than life, to rest her head on his shoulder as they walked beneath the bright lights of Corneria...it was absolutely perfect.

__The whole week was like that too. Just...perfect.__

Time.

It was all they had now. Credits were no longer a problem, nor were missions or repairs or any of the other chores that came with being a struggling mercenary in Lylat. And Fara...the one who had started all of this...the effects of all that she had done now could almost been seen as a blessing. It was difficult to think of it like that, but somewhere in the back of her mind the sapphire fox knew that Fara's jealousy, her insanity and desperation, it had been the reason why things ended up as they were.

So for the past week they didn't worry about anything other than each other. Peppy and Slippy were with their loved ones, as was Katt and Falco, and Fox and herself, and she was sure that if the rest of them were as grateful to have survived this as she was then they'd focus on spending as much time with their mate as possible.

She once again lightly blushed and grinned as she recalled every night for the past week with the vulpine, the two of them alone in the room, lights out, television on, yet neither of them focusing on anything except the other.

__So...perfect.__

"That's great! We'll be there tomorrow!...any certain...ah, any time of the day? Okay...thank you!"

Finally the vulpine closed his new phone and slid it into the pocket of his also new jeans before turning to face the vixen. He met her gaze only for a moment, an excited look on his face as he jumped forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her down on the bed with him.

"Fox!" she laughed, putting her hands against his chest and grabbing his shirt, "Who was that? What's going on?"

He kissed her first, once again reminding both of them they finally had the other. She looked down at him, answering the kiss and loving every second despite how surprised she was at the intensity of it. He merely pressed on, reaching forward and brushing a lock of hair from her face before finally easing away and rolling over by her side, that same look of excitement still in his eyes.

"Nothing much." he answered her coyly, grinning and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Who called?" she repeated, returning his playful expression and pressing her muzzle against his.

"Oh that?" he replied, shrugging and shaking his head, "Just some salesman. He was advertising something, I can't remember...

"You jerk."

He laughed, pulling her closer and once more kissing her. She loved this new side of him. Before they had admitted their feelings for each other he had never been like this, but looking into his thoughts and going by his character...she had known this part of the vulpine was in there. She knew he was fun loving, that he enjoyed being happy and making others feel the same way. But with her it was as if he had taken it to another level.

__He loves me so much, it's unreal. And I feel nothing short of the same way. God I hope it stays like this forever.__

She eased out of the kiss, once again noticing the playful twinkle in his eye as he held her gaze. Whatever it was he had been told on the phone she knew it was good news, and after all they had been through she couldn't help but think they deserved a lot of it.

"Don't make me read your mind." she threatened with a grin, running a paw up his chest until it rested on the side of his face.

"Go ahead." he taunted, struggling to hold a serious expression throughout their game, "I bet you still can't figure it out."

Before he had finished the sentence she had already slipped into his thoughts, staying there only a second before blinking in surprise and jerking out, immediately looking up at the vulpine and blushing.

"Fox!"

He couldn't help but roll over and laugh before standing up beside the bed, clearly content with putting the image into the vixen's head.

"Something wrong?" he asked, stepping forward and pulling her to her feet and into his chest, "Was that too much?" he added, his voice now a playful whisper in her ear.

She couldn't help but smile, once again realizing how much she really loved the vulpine and this new side of him she was still getting to know. That he could be so carefree, to know that he loved her and she loved him enough to act like this, it made everything that much more beautiful.

__Everything is truly perfect.__

"Well if that was it," she answered him, running her hands up his shirt, "then what are you waiting for?"

The cocky grin on his face almost instantly faded as he realized his dirty thought was becoming reality. He issued a growl of approval, raising his arms and allowing the vixen to push him across the floor towards the bathroom.

"R-right now?" he managed to murmur as her mouth left his.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked, never looking away from him as she turned on the water to the shower.

Seconds later all that remained on either of them were the bare necessities, her paws resting inside the elastic of his boxers as their mouths connected once more. She knew what his answer would be and it was one she would never get tired of hearing. The past week had been long enough and it had taken only a few days before the two of them had finally broken the barrier that so many other couples were afraid of. But afterward it was as if the flood gates had opened and it was as if simply kissing the other was all it took to get like this.

__And I love it.__

"This is a __great __time." he answered her, his paws resting on the release of her bra.

She only grinned, sliding down his shorts and connecting their mouths yet again, simultaneously feeling the last few articles of her own clothing fall from her body as she allowed the vulpine to pull her into the shower.

"I love you." he managed to pant, finally easing away from the kiss as the lust seemed to overtake them both.

"Show me." came the reply.

000 ^ cliché? Eh. I consider it my own little line. I've used it in a few of my stories and just love it.

"Wow."

__Yeah wow. I feel the same way.__

"They really cleaned up the place."

Falco's comment was nothing short of the truth as the band of four made their way across the lounge, which was absolutely spotless at this point.

__Hard to believe this whole floor was covered in blood at one point.__

The vulpine's hand remained intertwined with hers, almost as if he was afraid of letting her out of his sights again as they arrived 'home.' He hated feeling this way though, being scared of returning to his own ship. But after what had happened on it, after all the blood that had been spilled here and all the suffering that his team had been put through...he knew that no matter how top-notch the crew had been that had cleaned this place they'd never be able to wash away the memories of what had once taken place.

It was no secret to either him or Krystal that Fara had carved memories into both their minds, memories that would remain in their thoughts for the rest of their lives, long after the fennec fox had been dead. Every night from then on he knew they'd be hesitant of walking the hallways of the ship alone, all of them living in constant fear of seeing those same two red orbs glaring at them from across the room, knowing they belonged to a monster.

__It shouldn't be like that. But no matter how hard I try, despite how great things have been going, there's nothing I can do to erase that problem. Thoughts like those just can't be forgotten. Only ignored.__

Which he realized wouldn't be that hard to do as he felt the vixen's paw tighten around his, her gaze catching his as she happily smiled at him.

__She's so beautiful. So god-damn perfect too. I'm so lucky to have her.__

"Did-did they replace the floor?" Katt's question pulled the two foxes back to reality and they stepped forward into the kitchen, looking down at the newly furnished tiles.

"Huh, I guess so." he answered, looking up and around the rest of the kitchen, "And a few more things as well."

He was right. The old fridge was gone, now replaced with a newer, larger one. As was the sink, stove, table, counter tops, and the cabinets. They were all in the same place, and relatively the same size as before, but all were much newer and better. Even the walls had been repainted.

"Wait a second," Falco interrupted, stepping forward and making his way over to the fridge, opening it and looking it over. "Okay we're good. They stocked it."

The four of them shared a laugh before turning back around and looking over the rest of the ship. The more they explored the dreadnaught the more amazed they became. Pepper had spared absolutely no expense when he had taken GreatFox under his jurisdiction. It was as if the entire ship had been remodeled. Almost everything in their bedrooms had been replaced. New beds, carpet, new sheets, dressers, lights, doors, and anything else that was replaceable. Then to top it all off every single room had a new paint job to go along with it.

Then there was the hanger and control room. Each of them had been repaired and updated to the fullest extent of Cornerian military technology. There was a new launch pad, the bridge had been remodeled, the computer and controls in the command post had been replaced with technology that was far more up to date than what they had been using before. Plus the engines had been repaired 100 percent, along with almost every other mechanical function on the ship.

__Slippy will pass out when he sees this.__

Even their own Arwing's, which had remained aboard the ship this entire time, had been fixed and updated with more of Corneria's vast weaponry. But the best part, the part that surprised them all more than anything else, was when they checked the cargo bay.

"Holy shi-

"Wow."

"Amazing"

"We'll never use it all."

The four of them voiced their own responses but none hardly heard the other as they took in the sight before them. If Pepper had spared no expense with everything else, then he had __definitely __not spared any here. Never before, in all the years that he had owned the ship, had the vulpine seen the cargo bay this full of supplies and material. Crate upon crate upon crate of emergency food and fuel and spare parts seemed to fill every single inch of this large section of the ship.

__Now...now everything is perfect.__

"I bet there's 3 million credits worth of stuff here." Katt finally managed to murmur, pulling them all back to reality.

"At least." Krystal answered.

__We honestly have everything we could ever need now. No...we have everything we could ever 'want'. I've got all I 'need' right beside me. The rest is just extra.__

She squeezed his paw, causing him to look over at her only for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise and satisfaction as he returned her gentle kiss. She had heard his thoughts but he didn't mind, they both knew it to be the truth anyway. Each other. That was all either had wanted this entire time. The rest would have fallen into place, but only after they had the one they loved so dearly in their arms.

The four of them stood there for only a few seconds more before Falco finally allowed a yawn to escape him, breaking the silence.

"So now what?" he asked, turning and facing them, his arm on Katt's shoulder.

The question almost caught the vulpine off guard, he himself having been thinking about that same question for the past few days and still not being able to come up with a good answer.

__We've got all we need. None of us would have to be a mercenary now unless we wanted to. Credits aren't a problem at the moment. I mean, sure five-hundred thousand is a lot but after a few years that will be gone. Then what?__

"I'm not sure." he managed to reply, turning and leading the four of them back up to the bridge. "Everything is so great right now...there really isn't anything we need to do."

He knew the unspoken thought that they all were probably thinking. Sure things were great now, but they wouldn't always be. Eventually credits would get tough again, unless they prepared and worked to prevent their lives from returning to that state. But to be honest the more and more he thought about it, the more he asked himself that one question over and over again, the more he continued to get the same answer.

**_**What do you want?**_**

__I want things to be just like they used to be. Only with a few 'minor' changes.__

He had enjoyed his life before, he had liked living with his friends on GreatFox in the mercenary lifestyle. But it wasn't until he had Krystal that he was finally happy. So now what? What move needed to be made this time?

"You know what I think?" Krystal spoke up, instantly causing him to wonder if she had been eavesdropping on his thoughts. "I think things were great just the way they were before. Including a few changes...

__You sly fox. Don't be like this. I want you to be happy, don't just say what I'm thinking.__

He wanted to reply, to tell the vixen not to just side with him, but before he could do anything Katt spoke up and voiced her agreement as well.

"Me too." she answered, stepping closer to Falco and running her arm around his waist, "I loved things the way they were and I don't want anything to change...at least, not now."

The avian blushed and looked away, clearly not as willing to display his affection towards his mate in front of his friends as she was. But Katt only smiled and looked over at the vulpine, nodding as if to add a conclusion to her own vote.

"Yeah I agree." Falco mumbled, still looking away, "We're still Team StarFox and I kinda enjoy being a part of it."

He felt Krystal press closer to him as Falco finished, a loving look on her face as she smiled at him and wrapped her tail around his, "See Fox?" she said softly, "We're still a team. Fara didn't stop that either."

A few seconds passed and he returned her smile, finally weighing his options and deciding on what they would all finally end up doing. Though, there was a part of him that still feared they were all just saying this to make him happy, but he wasn't sure. Maybe they really __did __want to keep things the way they were, how they had once been. Of course, with those few little exceptions.

"All right." he finally answered, smirking at the vixen before looking back over at Katt and Falco, "Then I'll set us a course for Sauria and we'll await our next assignment, just as we had been doing before."

He noticed the relieved and accepting look overtake them all and realized that he had made the perfect call.

__We're mercenaries. That's what we know best, why try to change that?__

"Sounds good," Falco answered, stifling yet another yawn, "Well if that's the case then I think I'm going to grab a shower and then take nap. Katt..."

"I'd love to." she answered, a blush overcoming the bird once more as he forced a grin to his face.

The two of them nodded at the foxes before heading down the bridge and into the lounge. He watched them round the corner before turning back and facing the sapphire beauty that his life revolved around. She fell into his chest, her arms around his waist as she looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you Fox."

He managed to return the expression but he still couldn't help but feel a little guilty, and his heart wouldn't be at rest until he at least asked her the question that had been troubling him.

"But are you sure?" he asked, looking down at her, "Is this what you want? Will you be happy living this life?"

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" she replied with a small laugh.

"Because," he started, resting his arms around her, "You deserve so much more than the life of a mercenary. You're too...amazing...to be stuck taking on cheap missions and living like this."

__You deserve to live the life of what you are. And you're a goddess.__

She had heard the thought and he had meant for her to. More than anything else he just wanted her to be happy, to be able to wake up every morning and have the ability to say that she enjoyed her life and where it was going. To not be able to do that, for someone as great as her, it almost made the vulpine angry. But now, __especially now, __since had had the money and the resources...he just had to make sure.

"Fox. I've never been happier at any point in my life than I am right now." she answered softly, slowly leaning closer to him, "This is the life I've always dreamt of. To be able to fight alongside my friends, and to be able to love you every single day, it's everything I've ever wanted."

"But-

"Trust me Fox. There is nothing that could ever happen that would take away the happiness I feel as long as I still have you."

As she finished so did her mouth ease up against his, not allowing any further worrisome thoughts or comments to make their way out of the vulpine, instead only provoking him to tighten his hold on her as he returned the kiss and replayed the vixen's words over and over again.

__So she's happy then? This is the life she wants...that they all want? That I want?__

He held her for a few seconds more before finally pulling away the smallest of inches, his eyes locking onto hers as he searched for the slightest indication of regret or doubt in her gaze but getting none. None of them regretted the decision, not even after all they had been put through, after all that they had suffered just because of him. Despite everything they still remained by his side and a part of his team.

"Then if that's what you want-

His whisper was cut short once again as she closed the gap between them a third time, her paws and mouth doing all the talking and reassuring the vulpine that she was positive about her decision. Finally he felt that sense of fear leave him as his heart and mind accepted the vixen's proposal to live the rest of her life with him.

__She's right. All we need is each other. Nothing else in the universe matters…not if I've got her.__

"Now c'mon Fox," she said softly, grabbing him by the collar and whispering in his ear, "Get this ship back in space so we can focus on more __important __things the rest of the evening...

000

Author's Note: The End.


	38. The Deal

_000_

Epilogue

000

Papetoon. 2 Weeks Later.

000

The vulpine hung his head, his gaze resting on the same heartbreaking image before him that it had all night, and the night before. So badly he wanted to believe that it would change, that the lifeless body of his one and only daughter would be gone the next time he looked down into her casket to prove to him that it was all just a big joke. That she wasn't dead.

Tears fell from his snout and landed on the velvet carpet, briefly leaving dark imprints on it before disappearing forever into the soft texture. The same could be said for her. She was gone forever. The beautiful, playful, little brown bundle of fur that was Fara Phoenix that would always be his little girl would never again be there for him to hold in his arms. He was only somewhat thankful that her mother wasn't alive to suffer this pain as well, despite how badly he wanted a shoulder to cry on at the moment.

__She was all I had left. It was always just us three, the Phoenix family. And after your mother died...you...you were all I had left...__

What worsened the whole thing, what made him clench his fists in rage even now, was that he still had no idea what had been the cause of it. His vast wealth, his power and resources, they had gotten him plenty of answers...but they were answers he didn't believe in the least. At first Pepper had made him think she had died from a malfunction on her ship while returning to Corneria, that the atmosphere had all but destroyed her vessel and when they had found her on some remote island outside Terria that she was already dead. But the general had underestimated his resources.

__We looked into it. We know your men tried to cover up the blaster wound. That story of yours was nothing but bullshit. Whatever happened to her...whatever happened to my daughter...I will find out.__

Such determination still resided within him but he found it hard to express while looking down at his daughter's lifeless body. It was as if all the fight in him just ebbed away as he pictured his life without the last remaining member of his family. It didn't matter how wealthy he was, Richard Phoenix would knew he'd never have enough credits to his name to fill the gap that now resided within his heart.

__I should have seen this coming. After what happened at her wedding...the way she took off like that...I should have known she would do something drastic.__

But that was just it. He didn't know __what __had happened. He had tried comforting her after the heartbreaking moment that now seemed like an eternity ago, and for a day or two he thought she might get over it and move on with her life. Then the groom turned up dead days later and speculations arose as Papetoon's media began pointing fingers. His wealth and the fact that he was so renown managed to sweep that under the rug but by the time he had managed to do so Fara had already left them again, leaving him only a note that read; __Going to visit an old friend. Be back in a few weeks.__

__Who though? Who was she visiting? And did they have anything to do with this?__

He tried tracking her physically, financially, and every other way he knew how. But his daughter was smart, and far more cunning and elusive than he'd ever given her credit for. Looking down at her now he realized that was just another feature about her that he'd miss so much more.

So for the next few weeks he had simply let her be, trusting her upbringing and knowledge to keep her safe until she managed to overcome this hill in her life. He knew she was still depressed, although he tried to tell himself otherwise. Perhaps it was because he was so busy being the planet's wealthiest individual that he ignored the signs and allowed his daughter to do what she did.

__I don't know that she killed Michael. No one knows does. But after he left Fara at the alter like that...would…would she really be willing to go so far?__

He shook his head, refusing to believe that his daughter, who had once been but a small handful of fur in his arms, could be capable and willing of committing such a crime. Yes, she had been in love with the vulpine, or at least he thought she was. But he had made it his own preference not to intrude on Fara's relationships, instead allowing the vixen to date whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Why? Because he trusted her. He trusted her to make the right decisions and to keep the Phoenix name looking nothing short of classy and respectable.

__And she always has. She has never made the wrong choice.__

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this wasn't completely true. There was one time in her life that he still wished his daughter had been thinking clearer, that she had done what was best for herself instead of what the teenager in her demanded.

__She should have stayed with that McCloud kid. As good a pilot as he was...and a damn fine boy. Maybe if they had stayed together this never would have happened...__

Once more he was returned to the present, the ultimate and still unknown death of his only child resting before him. Although he hadn't shown it the past few days, managing to fake smiles and force himself to hold it together while thousands came to pay their respects, on the inside he was falling to pieces.

__It didn't hurt anywhere near this bad when Amelia left. Maybe it was because I still had Fara with me….at least then we could mourn together.__

He had soon found himself making deals with anyone and anything, well aware that he'd give every single credit he had ever made from his vast fortune just to have his daughter back. He was desperate and alone and that was an ending he had never really accounted for, even after Amelia, the love of his life, had passed away years ago.

__I always thought I'd still have my baby girl...__

His fists remained clenched as he struggled to hold it together. He was alone now, the massive funeral hall completely deserted as the clock struck 2am.

__A father should never have to bury his child. His...only...child.__

He had ordered his men to lock the door, to give him a moments peace with her as he continued to try and comprehend this new twist to his life. Only days ago he had everything he ever wanted. Wealth, fame, success...everything. But now such a powerful vulpine found himself on his knees, his paw resting on the side of the casket, allowing his self-control to slip as he once more realized Fara was gone from his life.

__In time I will figure out who caused this. I'm not stupid, you can't deceive me that easily Pepper. We both know that.__

There was something more to his daughter's death. Some story that he had yet to hear but was so close he could almost make it all out. At the moment all he knew was the ending, but that wasn't what he wanted. No. What he wanted was the exposition and the climax; he wanted to know just who it was he could blame all this pain and suffering he was enduring on. They had lied to him about her cause of death but Pepper had also twisted his arm behind his back, not so casually hinting that the vulpine would be told one thing and one thing only, and that he shouldn't look too deep into the matter.

__But she's my daughter god damnit! I should know!__

Shakily he rose to his feet and rested his arms on the side of the casket, determination mixed with sadness overtaking his expression as he looked down at his child. That's what she was. A child. Hardly in her twenties, still basically a kid. So to have this happen to her...at such a young age...it only fueled his anger even more. But such feelings wouldn't make themselves known here, not in this place, not before her now. This was a time to say good-bye...to mourn and grieve, even if he didn't want to.

Behind him he heard the doors open but he didn't bother turning towards his visitor, knowing that it was probably his second in command, that no one else would have the guts to interrupt a moment such as this.

__I'd give anything to have you back.__

The steps continued to grow louder as they neared him, yet they remained far from his concern, his gaze still resting upon her beautiful face.

__I'd do whatever it took just to hear your voice again.__

Had he been focused and alert he would have easily noticed that the footsteps were much louder than those of his vice-president, or that the strange scent that flowed down the aisle ahead of him definitely belonged to a stranger. But he remained unfazed; his heart, body, and mind still solely dedicated to the vixen before him and how his life would be without her.

__I will find out what happened to you. I promise.__

The presence stopped a few feet behind him yet he still didn't have the slightest clue as to who or what they belonged to, only assuming and not really caring. His eyes rested on Fara's, every fiber of his being wishing that her lids would open and that she would arise from this sleep that came upon her so early in life.

__And I will make them pay for doing this to you.__

"A shame," the voice finally spoke, immediate fear overcoming the vulpine.

The deep tone caused him to stiffen yet he didn't dare turn around to face his visitor, his mind telling him to wait for the stranger to speak once again so he could confirm his identity….hoping it wasn't who he thought.

__It can't be...__

"She was a great pilot. An even better daughter though."

__It is...__

"Hmm…I bet you miss her don't you?"

"Of course I fucking miss her!" he shouted back, turning and facing his guest more out of fear than anger. "What kind of question is that?"

The visitor merely raised an eyebrow at him, telling the vulpine just how calm and collected he was at this location despite who he was.

__What is he doing here?__

They had met before, numerous times in fact. Of course this was years and years ago when such visits were seen as friendly and acceptable. However over the course of time, after all that had happened, the two had only spoken on a few rare occasions, and those were most certainly not in person, rather over transmissions. And even then it was highly classified.

"Now Rick," the guest replied calmly, stepping forward and looking down at Fara's body, "There's no need to get temperamental."

"I just lost my daughter." he answered sternly, "This is the perfect time to get temperamental."

Surprisingly enough the guest cracked a smirk and managed a nod, never looking away from the body in the casket before them.

"Fair enough."

"What do you want?"

He studied Fara's body a moment more before finally turning to face him, resting a hand on the side of the casket and sporting a serious look on his face.

"Me?" he asked innocently, forcing a shrug but not being able to hide the dark look on his face, "All I want is to help out an old friend in his time of need."

"Bullshit."

The stranger laughed at his response, yet it came out more sinister and chilling than the vulpine would have liked and he soon found himself wishing he had chosen and different type of answer.

"You...do not believe me?" he asked, the laughter fading as his face once more took on a dark and amused look.

__It's hard to trust someone like you…after what you did.__

After seeing that he would get no response the stranger decided to continue, "I guess that is understandable. You always were somewhat of a skeptic Rick."

__He's matured so much...he's so cocky and sure of himself.__

"What do you want?" the vulpine managed to repeat, determined to stay strong and confident despite the fear that ran throughout him. For someone this infamous to be here, on Papetoon of all places, it left him to only wonder at what his objective was.

"Like I said. I want to help you."

"How?"

The fact that he had asked, rather than simply turn down the offer caused them both to look up. The vulpine was immediately regretting the question but his guest on the other hand not being able to hide the smirk of satisfaction as he saw his chance surface.

"You want her back don't you?"

The question seemed to ring off the walls, sticking in his heart and causing that all too familiar pain to pulse through his veins with every beat. He had been asking himself that same question nonstop for the past few days and he all too easily knew the answer to it.

But to have it asked in real-life by someone else...as if it was a possibility...it made it that much more gut-wrenching.

He didn't like to divulge such thoughts to anyone, especially the creature before him. But the look in his eyes, the way he asked the question, almost daring him to say no...it got to the vulpine and he knew he'd answer it one way or the other.

"Yes." He muttered, looking down at her once again, "I'd give anything for it."

Another short silence overtook them as the response sunk in. His guest was well-prepared and the vulpine could only assume he was setting up the drama by waiting so long before responding, but he didn't say anything else, knowing his next sentence would carry with it something he probably wouldn't want to hear.

"Anything?"

He looked back up at him, an almost angry expression on his face at the taunting tone his voice had. __Does he think this is just a game? That he can mess with me and ask such questions when my daughter, my one and only daughter, is right before us, dead!__

"What are you getting at?" he demanded, slamming his fist on the side of the coffin to add emphasis to his current state of dismay.

"So temperamental..." he repeated softly, his gaze resting on the vulpine's hand. "Clearly you are in no state to induce small talk so I will just lay my offer out on the table and let the chips fall where they may."

Another few seconds passed and the tension between them seemed to soften, the fox greatly appreciating this new attitude his guest was presenting before him. Still, he knew that whatever it was he had to offer him, if it was anything like before, it would be unacceptable. Except...this time they were in the flesh and not talking through screens. This time it might be an offer that he couldn't refuse.

He managed to nod in response before lowering his paw to his side and once more casting a glance at Fara's body.

"We're in the middle of the biggest war Lylat has ever seen." he spoke calmly, looking over at the vixen as well, "My grandfather left me with far more resources than anyone had ever thought imaginable, which is why we haven't lost yet. But despite all of that…" he went on, his voice almost trailing off before returning to another subject, "It was brought to my attention that your daughter and I seem to have shared a common interest in a select group of fighters, whose actions were the end result of her demise I might add."

"You know-

"Unlike yourself," he continued, interrupting the vulpine's attempt to find answers, "I was well aware of everything she had planned. I was also aware," he added, casting a glance up at him, "Of how she failed."

"But-

"My intel is in much deeper than yours."

The realization that the creature before him had basically __all__ the answers to every one of his questions only made him that much more desperate and willing. Just to know what happened to his daughter would be a blessing...and anything else...

"How...how did...what happened?"

"To be honest I can't believe she failed. She sounded so sure of herself when she left Venom with my gift."

He was toying with the vulpine now, not giving him any answers, only bits of information that seemed to cause more and more questions to arise.

__What was she doing on Venom? When was this? Where did she go?__

"Please..." he managed to mutter, his gaze flashing back and forth from his daughter and the guest, "Just tell me what you came here for."

"Like I said. To help you."

"What does that mean!" he cried, desperation and fatigue overtaking his heart and mind.

"I can bring her back."

The statement was so straightforward that he almost thought he had imagined it. But the look of absolute promise and sincerity that resided on the creature's face told the vulpine that it was nothing short of the truth, that the offer was completely legitimate. Yet no matter how many times he played the words over and over again in his mind he just couldn't bring himself to accept the possibility. Not after everything that he'd been put through, not just the past few days, but just within the past few minutes.

"She'll be exactly as she was the last time I saw her on Venom. You can even remove those pesky memories of that wedding that I was never invited to."

"You're joking...it's impossible...

The fact that he didn't say 'no' to the offer, only doubted it, made his guest smirk in happiness, knowing that he would eventually get his way.

"Nothing," he said firmly, stepping beside the vulpine and putting an arm around his shoulder as they looked down at the casket, "Is impossible. It's been done before. Or do you not remember my grandfather's resurrection?"

"My daughter is not Andross."

"No. She's not." he replied flatly, "She's dead."

Seconds passed by as the two of them looked down at the vixen's lifeless body, the vulpine struggling to process everything that had been thrown before him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he'd agree to it one way or another. In fact he figured that even if he had said no the procedure would have still been performed.

Unbeknownst to him it was not only Fara's will that this be done, on the off chance she did fail, but it was also something that the stranger before him preferred. She would make an incredible addition to their army and, after a few more pieces of the puzzle were put into place, he would finally have a force strong enough to take over not only Corneria but all of the Lylat System.

"But I can fix that. I can make it to where it was as if she never died." He finally added, a promising tone sneaking into the vulpine's ear.

__No...it's not right...I can't...__

"She'll be just as she was. You'll never notice the difference. Same memories and everything."

__But she's already died once. I know I said I'd be willing to give anything...but I never thought...__

"You'll be able to hold your baby girl in your arms once again Rick. You won't be alone anymore."

__Fara...my girl...__

The memory of the vixen, only a few months old and resting in his arms as he rocked her to sleep...accompanied with so many more thoughts he had with his daughter seemed to flood his mind and it was then that he realized that no matter what his morals told him he'd agree to whatever he had to in order to have his daughter alive once again.

"All I ask," the guest whispered firmly, a grin on his face as he caught the look of collapse in the vulpine's eyes, "is that Papetoon forms an alliance with Venom."

__My daughter…__

He knew he had the power to make it happen...and he would. He wasn't the elected leader of the planet, but he had so much more authority over that position that it was almost pathetic. It was __his__ word that was said and done, and if it would get his daughter back in his arms once again then he wouldn't hesitate.

"You make that happen and your little girl will be alive before the week is over."

__She's all I have left...__

"So?" the primate questioned, telling the vulpine he was finished with presenting his half of the deal, "What's your answer?"

The silence of the massive hall seemed to only add pressure to the situation as the fox continued to take everything in. It was wrong and he knew it, and there was still so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to know the answer to. But that wasn't the option presented before him now. No. At this moment he was just given two pieces of information, both of which he knew would affect him for the rest of his life no matter what he did.

Agree to this offer and see his daughter once again, mending the gaping hole that had formed inside his heart…while at the same time throwing the previously neutral planet of Papetoon into the war to aid Venom.

Or...decline the offer and probably face immediate death for it, and if not, have only a funeral to look forward to and then a lifetime of pain and heartache.

The answer was so obvious it almost made him laugh.

"Okay Oikonny," he managed to reply, his voice wavering but positive, "Do it."

"Please," the monkey answered, clearly content. "Call me Dash."

000 (I've written it out to where Dash took the last name Oikonny after he tried to return Venom to power, sort of a tribute to his grandfather, Andross. That's why he was referred to as such.)


End file.
